Yuceelanda.com

Bayelsa: Gov. Dickson’s shoes too big for Sylva




As the concluding part of the Bayelsa
governorship election draws closer, the State has
been in the news with palpable tensions rising
higher and concerned political actors trading
issues while delving neck-deep into the frantic
stages of the campaigns as final preparations
reach fever pitch. The two major contestants in
the election are the incumbent and the People’s
Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Governor
Henry Seriake Dickson and the candidate of the
All Progressives Congress (APC) and former
governor of the state, Timipre Sylva.
With Governor Dickson leading in the election
with about 33,000 votes, Timipre Sylva and his
party, the APC, have been doing everything
possible including the reported romance with ex-
militants for the purpose of using them to
unleash violence on the people of the state with
a view to intimidating Dickson’s supporters and
imposing a notoriously unpopular candidate in the
person of Sylva on the good people of the state.
Events from the last election also showed that
some security personnel might have been heavily
compromised as they were alleged to be
involved in electoral malpractices perpetrated to
favour Timipre Sylva. But for the vigilance,
resilience and resistance of the “standing well
well” people of Bayelsa State who refused to be
intimidated by the presence of some of these
ex-militants and security agents, the wicked
plans of Sylva would have gone unchallenged and
he would have arrogated to himself an
undeserved victory.
This is not a surprise to political actors and
watchers as Sylva is reportedly notorious for his
roles during his “Black Era” as governor of
Bayelsa State where his illegal security outfit
operating under the code, Operation Famou-
Tangbe, allegedly embarked on state-sponsored
terrorism, kidnappings, abductions and extra-
judicial killings against citizens especially
perceived political opponents. Many Bayelsans
are yet to forget the iniquitous activities of this
outfit. In those days, finding corpses of innocent
Bayelsans on the streets was a pastime. Hardly
was there any family in Bayelsa that did not have
a dose of the bitter pill of the Famou-Tangbe
outfit.
Those who think Timipre Sylva has changed for
the better should better have a rethink as events
at the recently organised APC primaries where
the party chose its governorship candidate is a
very sad reminder of the kind of person Sylva is
and the kind of politics he plays. Commenting on
the outcome of the primaries held in Bayelsa,
governor Oshiomhole had elaborated how
dangerous weapons including AK47 guns, pump
action rifles and live ammunition were freely
used at the venue of the primaries. Speaking of
the unfortunate events that took place at the
sports complex venue of the primaries, Governor
Oshiomhole had this to say of Timipre Sylva: “I
was appointed with six other members from the
APC to conduct the primary election of the
governorship election in Bayelsa State. The
exercise took place yesterday (Tuesday,
September 22, 2015) and somehow, thugs took
over the sports complex where the exercise was
to take place…The committee was virtually held
hostage, including my humble
self. This time, they were supervised
unfortunately by one of the aspirants, the former
governor of the state, Timipre Sylva, who said to
my face and to the committee that we could not
leave the venue of the primaries unless we
conduct the exercise without accreditation, as
prescribed by the national secretariat”.
That was a brazen show of thuggery as aptly
described by the comrade governor who,
unfortunately, had the misfortune of having a
bitter dose of Sylva’s brand of politics. If Sylva
could do that to a sitting governor, what would
he not do to the helpless citizens of the state?
This has not changed and might never change as
you cannot teach an old dog new trick. Our
elders also say that no matter how heavy the
rain beats the leopard, it can never wash off its
spots. True to type, and since the first part of
the Bayelsa election took place, Sylva has in his
usual manner been reported to continue to
associate too dangerously with notorious ex-
militants with the aim of using them to
manipulate the final leg of the election. From
Oshiomhole’s exclamation, it is known that Sylva
lacks the capacity to contest freely and fairly in
a peaceful and credible election.
Bayelsans will not forget in a hurry, how Timipre
Sylva earned himself the unenviable title of
Nigeria’s most travelled governor during his time
at Creek Haven. It is widely believed that those
travels were just avenues to invest Bayelsa’s
scarce resources in private businesses overseas
as none of the purported MOU’s Sylva claimed to
have entered into with some countries in Europe,
Asia, Latin America, Middle East etc he visited
saw the light of the day, hence, part of the
reasons the EFCC charged him to court for
financial crimes worth billions of naira of
Bayelsa money. For example, the MOUs he
entered with Vietnam on rice cultivation, with
Israel on vegetable cultivation, with Norway on
shrimp culturing etc, were never implemented.
Under his tenure, despite his globetrotting, Sylva
was not able to attract a single foreign
investment to Bayelsa State.
As if that crass official financial recklessness
was not enough, Sylva’s government was known
to have, at a point in time, appropriated more
money to government house and governor’s
office than five critical ministries of Water
Resources, Environment, Women Affairs and
Social Development, Commerce and Industry, and
Agriculture all put together. If this is not the
height of insensitivity to the plight of the people
who daily struggle with life as a result of the
degradation of their environment and quick
continued disappearance of their sources of
livelihood, then one wonders what it can be
called!
On the contrary, since assuming office, Governor
Henry Seriake Dickson has embarked on life
changing programmes for the good people of
Bayelsa state. Apart from making the people the
centre of all developments and government
programmes, he has translated this into reality by
carrying the people along in the new policies of
transparency and accountability by making
known to the people on a regular basis, what
comes to Bayelsa as revenue and how they were
spent.
It is also quite commendable, how peace and
stability have returned to Bayelsa given the
history of violence and militancy that were the
order of the day before Dickson assumed office.
Now, Bayelsans can sleep with their two eyes
closed and go about their normal businesses
without fear as Dickson has
been able to tame the militants and chase away
men of the underworld who had held sway
before his coming to office.
With the unparalleled commitment of Governor
Dickson to the education of Bayelsans, Bayelsa
State that used to be the worst state in
education before Dickson became governor is
now adjudged the best state in the South South
zone of Nigeria and among the first ten in the
entire nation.
The infrastructural development in Bayelsa State
now is such that the state had never
experienced since its creation as roads and
bridges linking communities and facilitating
trade, commerce, industry and investment are
now being constructed with some of them
completed and others reaching different
advanced stages of completion.
Just like the publisher of New Nation, Richard
Beke, once said during one of the tours of the
Nigerian Guild of Editors on the occasion of the
Guild’s conference in Bayelsa State, “He
(Dickson) is the face of change in the new
Bayelsa. He is the original change agent as he’s
been saying and there’s no doubt that there is
truth in his assertions seeing first hand for
ourselves the various development strides”. This
testimony cannot be disputed!
No matter the machinations of Sylva, the good
people of Bayelsa can tell from the two
candidates who actually has the interest of
Bayelsa at heart. No Bayelsan would want the
state to be dragged back to the dark days of
Sylva government. The propaganda, lies,
intimidation, harassment and violence unleashed
on citizens would not stop them from coming out
en masse to not only vote but also remain
behind with angelic vigilance to secure their
votes from enemies of democracy.
With Dickson leading comfortably so far,
Bayelsans know they only need to finish off the
good job they have started by casting their votes
right and ensure that Governor Dickson is
returned to power for the security of their future
and that of their children. Seriake Dickson’s
shoes are definitely too big for a Sylva who, from
his antecedents, is poised to dim the silver lining
in Bayelsa’s horizon! Creek Haven must not
become Greed Haven! Tufiakwa!