Dickson warns Buhari against political conquest
– Governor Dickson of Bayelsa state has warned that there are hard times ahead of the nation.
– Dickson believes the federal government is not focused on the most pertinent issues besetting Nigeria.
– He has warned President Buhari to
focus on more pressing issues than focus on political conquest.
The governor of Bayelsa state, Seriake Dickson, has warned the federal government against majoring in minor, he has advised president Muhammadu Buhari against concentrating on political conquest other than the things which affect Nigerians as a whole.
In a recent interview with The Vanguard, Dickson said that there is an insufficiency and insensitivity that thrives within the federal government, a problem which he says stems from the team put together by President Buhari to manage the affairs of the nation.
Reacting to a question regarding his being worried over dwindling oil revenue and a potential return of militancy in the Niger Delta because of arms not retrieved from youths in the region, Governor Dickson said: “Well, I do know that we are heading to some tough time because of the steady decline in oil prices and revenue in the last one and a half years. It is possible that the APC didn’t see that coming; so I have made this call over and over. What I have rather seen is an insufficient and insensitive team around President Muhammadu Buhari and his government.
“For example, they seem to have taken their eyes off the economy, they seem to have taken their attention off core-national security imperatives and are now focusing more on political conquest and expansion of the sphere of authority of their party and all the intrigues going on even within their party. I am of the view that the President doesn’t have the best of advice; I am of the view that the President is not expansive and broad enough. I am seeing a lot of unnecessary restriction, unnecessary concerns about political ego. This President took over the reins of this country at a time that calls for all hands to be on deck. This is when we should be forming national consensus. For example, more people have died in the hands of Boko Haram between when the president took over till date than under the last administration.
“What this means is that, contrary to the public proclamations, Boko Haram threat remains a serious challenge. Our men and women in uniform are doing their best and we should all give them support, but what it means is that the national security team needs to have their eyes on national security instead of concentrating on political conquest. The President’s men should show more interest in the economic downturn the country is facing, how to make progress in 2016 and going forward and not wasting time on issues that are myopic and less beneficial to Nigerians at the end of the day.
“Now with Iran getting fully involved in oil trade again, we are going to have more oil glut in the market with attendant reduction in the current price of crude. That is a serious matter because it will have an impact even in the maintenance of law and order, because a hungry man is an angry man. If the economy is weak, it may make it difficult for states to pay salaries of workers while the Federal Government might find it equally difficult to pay its workers, soldiers, law enforcement agencies and judicial officers.
“These are the real challenges facing the country and I am surprised and shocked that, in spite of all these challenges, what we see is that people are more interested in battles rather than making friends and building national consensus. After elections, no matter how you feel about the candidates and parties, you address the problems of the state and country and move forward. But, sadly, that is not happening and I am very concerned, therefore, the way the country is going in the area of security; not just in the Niger Delta but across the nation.
“In the Niger Delta, I don’t think the approach of being selective in law enforcement and deployment of military and security personnel is the solution,” Dickson opined.
Adding that: “Security agencies should promptly arrest and punish those who use youths to cause mayhem in the Niger Delta and other parts of Bayelsa to discourage others from engaging in criminality. There are different accounts of how Boko Haram started and one account is similar to this and I keep raising the alarm that security agencies should pick up these guys, cause investigation and deal with them appropriately. However, no action has been taken.”
Dickson who called for understanding and for support from the federal government said his was in a bid to aid “keep Bayelsa and the country safe again.”
“Economically, Bayelsa is in a better position now than when I started my first term. The good thing in Bayelsa is that we have spent the first term laying the foundation and we are now moving to consolidate the achievements we recorded in the first term. We have completed 90 percent of our schools with heavy investment made in infrastructure. For instance, our airport is about 70 percent ready. We just need to monitor and see to its completion.
But then, there are challenges of meeting the recurrent obligations and of expanding social security that has been going on in the form of paying school fees, WAEC forms, GCE, NECO, scholarships and all those people as all those things will be unfortunately affected. But, let’s get it clear, our country is in a very difficult economic situation with the drop in oil revenues and that again calls for seriousness on the part of the federal government to bail the economy out of the doldrums,” Dickson noted.
Dickson who recently celebrated his 50th birthday, stressed that to win an election, one has to go to one’s people because he believes that the power comes from God as well as the people. Hence, the government must be people centred, stressing that it is in there satisfaction that one can say he has ruled through service.
– Dickson believes the federal government is not focused on the most pertinent issues besetting Nigeria.
– He has warned President Buhari to
focus on more pressing issues than focus on political conquest.
The governor of Bayelsa state, Seriake Dickson, has warned the federal government against majoring in minor, he has advised president Muhammadu Buhari against concentrating on political conquest other than the things which affect Nigerians as a whole.
In a recent interview with The Vanguard, Dickson said that there is an insufficiency and insensitivity that thrives within the federal government, a problem which he says stems from the team put together by President Buhari to manage the affairs of the nation.
Reacting to a question regarding his being worried over dwindling oil revenue and a potential return of militancy in the Niger Delta because of arms not retrieved from youths in the region, Governor Dickson said: “Well, I do know that we are heading to some tough time because of the steady decline in oil prices and revenue in the last one and a half years. It is possible that the APC didn’t see that coming; so I have made this call over and over. What I have rather seen is an insufficient and insensitive team around President Muhammadu Buhari and his government.
“For example, they seem to have taken their eyes off the economy, they seem to have taken their attention off core-national security imperatives and are now focusing more on political conquest and expansion of the sphere of authority of their party and all the intrigues going on even within their party. I am of the view that the President doesn’t have the best of advice; I am of the view that the President is not expansive and broad enough. I am seeing a lot of unnecessary restriction, unnecessary concerns about political ego. This President took over the reins of this country at a time that calls for all hands to be on deck. This is when we should be forming national consensus. For example, more people have died in the hands of Boko Haram between when the president took over till date than under the last administration.
“What this means is that, contrary to the public proclamations, Boko Haram threat remains a serious challenge. Our men and women in uniform are doing their best and we should all give them support, but what it means is that the national security team needs to have their eyes on national security instead of concentrating on political conquest. The President’s men should show more interest in the economic downturn the country is facing, how to make progress in 2016 and going forward and not wasting time on issues that are myopic and less beneficial to Nigerians at the end of the day.
“Now with Iran getting fully involved in oil trade again, we are going to have more oil glut in the market with attendant reduction in the current price of crude. That is a serious matter because it will have an impact even in the maintenance of law and order, because a hungry man is an angry man. If the economy is weak, it may make it difficult for states to pay salaries of workers while the Federal Government might find it equally difficult to pay its workers, soldiers, law enforcement agencies and judicial officers.
“These are the real challenges facing the country and I am surprised and shocked that, in spite of all these challenges, what we see is that people are more interested in battles rather than making friends and building national consensus. After elections, no matter how you feel about the candidates and parties, you address the problems of the state and country and move forward. But, sadly, that is not happening and I am very concerned, therefore, the way the country is going in the area of security; not just in the Niger Delta but across the nation.
“In the Niger Delta, I don’t think the approach of being selective in law enforcement and deployment of military and security personnel is the solution,” Dickson opined.
Adding that: “Security agencies should promptly arrest and punish those who use youths to cause mayhem in the Niger Delta and other parts of Bayelsa to discourage others from engaging in criminality. There are different accounts of how Boko Haram started and one account is similar to this and I keep raising the alarm that security agencies should pick up these guys, cause investigation and deal with them appropriately. However, no action has been taken.”
Dickson who called for understanding and for support from the federal government said his was in a bid to aid “keep Bayelsa and the country safe again.”
“Economically, Bayelsa is in a better position now than when I started my first term. The good thing in Bayelsa is that we have spent the first term laying the foundation and we are now moving to consolidate the achievements we recorded in the first term. We have completed 90 percent of our schools with heavy investment made in infrastructure. For instance, our airport is about 70 percent ready. We just need to monitor and see to its completion.
But then, there are challenges of meeting the recurrent obligations and of expanding social security that has been going on in the form of paying school fees, WAEC forms, GCE, NECO, scholarships and all those people as all those things will be unfortunately affected. But, let’s get it clear, our country is in a very difficult economic situation with the drop in oil revenues and that again calls for seriousness on the part of the federal government to bail the economy out of the doldrums,” Dickson noted.
Dickson who recently celebrated his 50th birthday, stressed that to win an election, one has to go to one’s people because he believes that the power comes from God as well as the people. Hence, the government must be people centred, stressing that it is in there satisfaction that one can say he has ruled through service.
0 comments:
Post a Comment