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BUILD YOUR OWN WEBISTE

DICKSON, THE MIRACLE MAN AT THE CREEK HOUSE
04/05/18, Kayode Soyinka
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Bayelsa State berths quietly on the southernmost tip of Nigeria; beyond its coastline, which is the longest in Nigeria, are just waves upon waves of Niger Delta waters discharging gently into the Gulf of Guinea. Created in 1996 from Rivers State, a large and one of the most prosperous and prominent states in federal Nigeria. The creation of Bayelsa State then could not have been for any compelling economic reasons, but more political in that it brought succour to the historical agitation of Ijaw nationalists who wanted a state they could call their own. The Ijaws are one of the most powerful and influential ethnic groups in multi-ethnic Nigeria.

Bayelsa State today ranks 26th by GDP and it is the smallest by population among the 36 states of the Nigerian federation. It perches nicely and strategically at the southernmost tip of the oil-and-gas-rich Niger Delta between Rivers and Delta States and could easily become an important economic hub for the entire Gulf of Guinea.

More importantly for the people of the region, this small state has emerged as the leading voice for Ijaw nationalism. And that is not just important, it is immeasurably satisfying for the 15 million Ijaws, the fourth largest ethnic group in Nigeria, who demand as of right and necessity that their own voice not only to be heard but be considered when it comes to the sensitive issue of choosing who rules the complex and multi-ethnic Nigeria and when, what is described locally as "sharing of the national cake", takes place.

Mostly fishermen who live largely across the Niger Delta, with settlements across the west African coastline, the Ijaws had their lucky break in the geopolitics of Nigeria recently when their son, Goodluck Jonathan, became the president of Nigeria. It was a historic development, for it was the first time since independence in 1960 that someone from a minority tribe from the southern part would democratically rule Nigeria.

I had been in the state once before, shortly after the return to democratic rule in Nigeria in 1999. The state was grabbing national and international headlines for the wrong reasons at the time. There was a political crisis in the state then. Its first executive governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha had been set a trap and was waylaid in faraway London while coming from a trip to Europe, arrested and charged with corruption and money laundering at a London court. Many found the arrest and trial of a sitting Nigerian governor in a foreign land curious. It could be argued that it would not have happened without active collaboration with Nigeria itself. Alamieyeseigha was on bail in London. His movement was restricted to a west London apartment where he was kept under consistent surveillance by the British authorities.

Curiously, one day, I got a telephone call from one of his aides with a message inviting me to meet the governor at a London hideout. He would want to tell "his own side of the story" and had chosen me as the Nigerian journalist he trusted and could talk to. I reluctantly accepted the invitation and met him at the prearranged hideout, which was a flat not far away from the actual flat he was restricted to. Within 48 hours after my interview with him, I received another telephone call from the same aide who informed me that Alamieyeseigha, as we were speaking, was on his way to Nigeria, in a private jet, and would soon arrive in a west African country where an arraignment had been put in place to fly him to Yenagoa. It was early morning. And the moment he arrived Yenagoa, I got another call to confirm that he had indeed arrived the state capital and was actually at his desk as we spoke.

Governor Alamieyeseigha, unfortunately, did not have more time to stay in office. He had stepped on powerful toes, and the powers-that-be in Nigeria were determined to make an example of him and get him out of power. He was chased out of government house and controversially impeached from office. It was a dark moment in Bayelsa's short history as a state in Nigeria, an unfortunate episode, which Bayelsans were eager to quickly consign to the past and move on with their lives. When he died October 10, 2015, they still managed to give their former governor, leading agitator for resource control, and a man they fondly called the Governor-General of the Ijaw nation, a burial befitting a king.

It was after Alamieyeseigha's tenure that I made my first visit to the state. Timipre Sylva was the governor then. He had succeeded Goodluck Jonathan who succeeded Alamieyeseigha. What I saw on the ground then was a state that was a vast expanse of sandy land, generally below sea level. In fact, Bayelsa is a state shredded into pieces by numerous creeks, with numerous parcels of land surrounded by the sea, difficult to navigate and move around from one place to the other; rickety canoes were the only means of transportation. No wonder, Bayelsa is reputed to be the third largest wetland in the world. I also saw a state that was in dare need of massive infrastructural development. At that time there was only one main road in the middle of Yenagoa; even the government offices and other accommodations were nothing to write home about at the time.

It was with this recollection in mind that I went gumshoeing into Yenagoa for the second time February this year at the invitation of the current governor of the state Henry Seriake Dickson. I was curious; I wanted to find out what had changed since my last visit. There is still no direct flight from anywhere to Yenagoa. Going there, one still has to first take a flight to nearby Port Harcourt and then drive to Yenagoa, a journey of about one hour. But I have been told that will soon change as an airport that has the longest runway in Nigeria is currently being built and would be inaugurated before the end of this year. However, on getting there this time, I quickly noticed that Yenagoa had become unrecognisable to me. Massive development has taken place there since my first visit. The empty parcels of land that I saw when I first visited have been built up. More road networks have been constructed, and Yenagoa is now a city bustling with vibrant commercial activities.

Getting to the State House complex was confirmation of the real change and development that has taken place since 1996 and the Alamieyeseigha, Goodluck and Sylva years. When I first visited, there was just one building used by the governor. Another one opposite it was used as his office and for holding meetings. In front of these buildings was an empty space cleared for helicopters bringing in either the governor or visiting dignitaries to land. Today, the Creek House, where the governor lives, now takes a pride of place. It has been expanded and different from what it used to be. Numerous lodges have been built to accommodate visiting guests, and one was impressed by the new modern governor's office complex that has just been built. One could see well-dressed civil servants at their duty posts, working in a nice environment where all systems work. The unserious attitude of civil servants during the Alamieyeseigha, Goodluck and Sylva years has no place in Governor Dickson's administration. He told me himself that he had come to office with anger in his belly and was determined to put a stop to the rot, which pervaded governance in the state before he took over as governor. He has introduced professionalism and refocused the civil service in the state to be optimal in service delivery.

From talking to various Bayelsans around, I was made to understand that most of these changes, particularly infrastructural development I was seeing around was brought in and put in place by Governor Dickson. I found that remarkable because he has been in office for only six years. In fact, he had only just finished celebrating his sixth-year anniversary in office when I arrived the state. Africa Today had placed a reporter and photographer on ground to cover the weeklong anniversary events. And it's noteworthy that the special guest of honour was former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo. And equally noteworthy was that Governor Dickson had chosen another upright retired general, Alani Akinrinade, to deliver the anniversary lecture. These are no-nonsense statesmen who are highly respected and who speak their mind no matter whose ox is gored. And it speaks volumes of the success, character and confidence of Dickson himself to have not one, but both men, to grace the anniversary celebration.


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From Right: Former Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo, Bayelsa State Governor, Henry Seriake Dickson, and his wife, Rachel, with the Dickson quadruplets, at the Government House in Yenagoa, during Obasanjo's visit to Bayelsa State, for the 6th Anniversary of the Dickson Government.

I found Governor Dickson an interesting person to interact with. He has a very big, an almost intimidating frame that made him look like a basketball player. His trademark is his Niger Delta Bowler hat, or what in local parlance is called Resource Control hat, and a smart walking stick. Extremely confident, he is an articulate man who is obviously very well aware and propelled by the remarkable difference he has made and the infrastructural development he has brought to the state since he took over, and one could see that he is very proud of his achievements and now wants to showcase the state and the opportunities in it to the world, especially to prospective investors.

For Dickson, it has been a long tortuous journey to the State House in Yenagoa. I understand that he had challenges going through school and acquiring education when he was young. He was already about 17 years old when he first entered a motorcar. He was a policeman who later went to read law, graduated and passed through the prestigious law school in Lagos. He was an activist steeped in the passionate campaign for Ijaw nationalism and the emotive agitation for resource control in the Niger Delta. He was elected as a member of the lower House of Representatives in Abuja, where he was when called upon to come back home to contest the governorship of Bayelsa State in 2012.

I met Governor Dickson with guests at the dinner table on my arrival. Immediately he sighted me being led in by his Chief Press Secretary, he greeted me from his chair at the head of the table with the cry: "Ah, our countryman has come. Welcome." I moved forward to shake hands with him. After the exchange of greetings, he invited me to have dinner with him. It was a timely invitation as that was going to be my first meal of the day since I had had to rush to the airport in Lagos to catch an early flight out to Port Harcourt that morning when my appointment to see him was confirmed. After dinner, he invited me in to have a private session with him. It was my intention to get our interview with him done immediately that evening and get it out of the way so that we could spend the following day inspecting some developmental projects in the state; and to interview ordinary people too for their views on him and his administration - something very important and useful when doing special reports like this. The views of ordinary citizens help one to properly gauge the performance of the governor and his administration and gauge the political temperature of the state.

The surprise that night was that there was suddenly a reversal of roles. Immediately we both sat down to discuss in his private room, it was me that Governor Dickson turned to. He put me straight on the hot seat - the hot seat I thought I had come to put him on. He thanked God for sparing my life - reminding me once again that I was a parcel bomb survivor and victim in the course of doing my duty as a journalist in Nigeria 32 years ago. Seeing me in flesh for the first time, and face-to-face with him, he didn't want to miss the opportunity and won't let me off without hearing from the horse's mouth, so to speak, how the letter bomb episode happened and how I miraculously survived. He raised several critical questions that he wanted answers to that truly confirmed to me he was indeed once a police officer; at a point he became conscious of the fact that I was the one who had come to interview him, and he was now the interviewer putting me on the hot seat and throwing questions at me. And we both laughed. It is an experience I have learnt, over the years, to live with and got used to, so I wasn't surprised. By the time he finished with me and I wanted to start the interview with him, it was past midnight. Although he was ready to take my questions Francis Agbo, his chief press secretary, who I must say is a very professional man, and having around him the equally very professional staff in the media section at the Governor's Office, intervened and suggested we should take the interview in the morning. He knows his governor better; he knew he was tired, that I would get the best out of him in the morning. The governor and I agreed. He promised he would see me first after his morning devotion the following day.

That following day was useful; it exposed me partly to the private world, the other side, of Governor Dickson. On arriving at the Creek House, I met several people, including the royal father of the state His Royal Highness Alfred Diete-Spiff, who had gathered that early in the morning to join the governor for his morning devotion. There is a chapel right inside the government house, and it is traditional for the governor to pray there with his staff and family every morning when he is in town before starting his day. I noticed he had his Bible beside him throughout our interview. He told me after the interview that he does not play with his faith: "My faith plays a very significant role in my politics. My commitment to do what is best, what is right, what is just, what is good for my people and the need for me to satisfy my mind and conscience at all times are all based on my faith. We shall all account to God on what we do or fail to do."

It was a real honour, pleasure and, indeed, breath of fresh air to meet a God-fearing governor at the state house in Yenagoa. Enjoy the interview and the special report on Bayelsa State. The state is surely now open for business, and Governor Dickson fondly describes it as "Nigeria's best-kept investment secret."

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