●●● Go and Verify
●●●Diri can create his own Institutions too
●●● No propaganda please
From 1999 till date, Senator Dickson is the only governor that completed his second tenure. He also created more institutions and more jobs for Bayelsans.
Let us verify this assertion.
Bayelsa State has no industrial base. The only way former governor Henry Seriake Dickson tackled the unemployment challenge was to create social, educational and financial institutions to promote good governance.
He freed up the clogged civil Service to create room for the employment of over 8000 Bayelsa graduates selected through a competitive process and equally created the following Institutions to provide more job opportunities for Bayelsans.
1. Int’l Institute of Tourism and Hospitality, Yenagoa,
2. Bayelsa Sports Institute, Asoama
3. Teacher Training Institute, Bolou-Orua
4. Bayelsa State Higher Education Students Loan Board, Yenagoa
5. Izon-Ibe Microfinance Bank
6. Bayelsa State College of Education, Sagbama
7. University of Africa, Toru-Orua
8. Bayelsa State Health Insurance Scheme, Yenagoa
9. Bayelsa Medical University, Yenagoa
10. Bayelsa International Airport
11. Over 12 boarding schools across the state with staff quarters
12. Established primary health care centres across the state with quarters for medical personnels and the establishment of the Primary health care board to oversea it’s operation.
13. The drug Mart
14. The world class diagnostic centre
15. The Bayelsa entrepreneurship forum under the ministry of Trade and investment
16. The small and medium scale enterprise agencies to boost small scale enterprise
17. The aquaculture village.
18. 60tonne/day starch processing industry in Ebedebiri
19. The green house/fish farm in Angalabiri
20. The Techhub
21. The construction of the 3 senatorial link roads have transformed the economy of the regions creating job opportunities in transportation, haulage and sales of goods and services. The real estate sector also received a boost as haulage, storage and access to building materials and building sites became a whole lot cheaper and easier.
22. The conversion of the castle to a 5 star hotel has employed many youths.
23. The conversion of the Onopa lodge to a resort centre has equally employed many in the state.
24. In the political sector, it is on record that the Dickson led Restoration government gave appointments to more people than any other government. This is currently one of the causes of the agitations being witnessed in the state.
25. The golf course
26. The polo club
27. The Bayelsa Driving school
28. Bayelsa State Polytechnic Aleibiri.
29. Garment factory Yenagoa.
All these opportunities were created in a protracted recession which lasted for about 6 out of the 8 years of the administration.
Yet thousands of Bayelsans gained employment and many floated businesses as the security situation and government policies encouraged such. Most of those employed are still working in all these institutions. HSD is the greatest job provider that has governed Bayelsa State.
I expect Governor Douye Diri to create more viable institutions too to create job opportunities for the teeming youths and graduates of Bayelsa instead of blaming his predecessor for his non-performance.
