AN APPRAISAL OF THE RESTORATION AGENDA [1] The administration of Governor Henry Seriake Dickson in Bayelsa State came into being on February 14, 2012. This was on the strength of the governorship election conducted in the state on February 11, 2014, which he won by a landslide as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Remarkably, the administration hit the ground running, as it unfolded its Restoration Agenda with some important, far-reaching policy pronouncements. The policy pronouncements made by Governor Dickson in his inaugural address clearly reinforced the impetus driving the Restoration Agenda captured in the 2012 gubernatorial campaign manifesto of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state. Chief among them were those on free education at the primary and secondary school levels, revamping of the state’s educational infrastructure, massive investment in road construction, amongst others. Part of the Governor’s powerful inaugural speech read thus: “We shall undertake fundamental reform of the governance culture to emphasize transparency, accountability, due process and value re-orientation by all institutions and functionaries of government, beginning with my humble self. For emphasis, there shall be zero tolerance for corruption under my administration. The days of enrichment without labour and funding the greed and avarice of a few at the expense of the development of our people is over. I will work hard to plug all leakages and sources of corruption which have been the bane of our development. I will rather use our common wealth to fund the construction of good roads, education, promote tourism, generate wealth and develop agriculture than fund corruption and greed. Be prepared therefore for a fundamental paradigm shift in the governance culture, values and lifestyle of public officials. I am aware that we will face resistance, we may be misunderstood but we shall always do what is right in the interest of you the people. “In the course of our campaign, we promised massive investment in education, critical infrastructure, agriculture, health, as well as peace and security. The development of human capital is our most compelling and urgent need. That is why we promised you free and compulsory education for all our children in primary and secondary schools with emphasis on computer literacy, science and technology. I hereby announce with effect from today the take-off of free and compulsory education at primary and secondary school levels across Bayelsa State. The rebuilding of our educational infrastructure commences forthwith. Our curriculum will emphasize the study of Ijaw language, history and culture. “We shall construct roads and other infrastructure to link our people and fast track comprehensive development. The completion of the three senatorial roads will be given high priority. But all these will not be possible without an atmosphere of peace and security. We must therefore strengthen our consensus as a community to have zero tolerance for criminality and insecurity. As a government, we will make all the necessary investment to create and sustain a secure society governed by the rule of law. “Judge me by this – I will not play politics with your development. I will not play politics with crime, criminality and violence. I will not play politics with the protection of the Ijaw National interest within the context of a united, democratic and peaceful Nigeria.” As we put pen on paper to script this, the Dickson Administration in Bayelsa State is now 31 months old – expressed in year terms, its lifespan is approximately two years and seven months. To be analytically objective, the questions we need ask are these: How far and well has the Dickson Administration fared in consummating the sacred mandate given to it by the people of Bayelsa State? Has Governor Seriake Dickson and his team justified the confidence reposed in them? Has the Dickson Administration met or fulfilled its election campaign promises to the people of Bayelsa State? Have the reforms the Governor promised he would initiate been initiated? What about the infrastructures he promised to build in Bayelsa State to improve the infrastructural configuration of the Glory of All Lands? These are some of the critical issues that will be objectively and empirically examined in this feature. However, due to the wide scope that will be covered, the developmental issues that will be given illumination here have to be segmented according to the various sectors in the state. Thus, we begin with the education sector. RESTORATION IN THE EDUCATION SECTOR When the Dickson Administration assumed office in 2012, it made it clear to all that it was not comfortable with the comparative educational backwardness of the state at that time. As one sector that is so dear to the heart of Governor Seriake Dickson, a policy framework to turn around the dwindling fortunes of the education sector had to be drawn up. It then became quite imperative and expedient for the administration to declare a state of emergency on the education sector. The educational emergency in Bayelsa State has brought about the following dynamics in the critical sector: • Relocation and building of the Bayelsa State College of Education • Compulsory and free primary and secondary education • Massive construction of public school infrastructure • Establishment of the Teachers Training Institute • Establishment of the Sports Academy • Establishment of the School of Catering and Hotel Management • Establishment of the Football Academy • Re-establishment of the Bayelsa State College of Arts and Science (BYCAS) • Establishment of Bayelsa State Driving School • Establishment of the Maritime Academy Relocation and building of the Bayelsa State College of Education The Bayelsa State College of Education was, prior to the inauguration of the Dickson Administration, located at Okpoama, in Brass LGA of the state. However, it was translocated from Okpoama to Sagbama, in Sagbama LGA. Reasons cited by the government for the relocation include low enrolment of students due to the location, marine transportation difficulties faced by both students and lecturers of the institution, and constant danger posed by sea pirates along the waterways in the Brass axis. Following its relocation, the institution was renamed (IJBCOE), and student enrolment has risen geometrically from less than 600 students when it was at Okpoama to over 3,000 students. As this is put together, academic work is in full swing at the academic institution. The Isaac Jasper College of Education in Sagbama has virtually been turned into a massive construction site, where several infrastructural projects such as halls of residence, staff quarters, lecture halls, cafeterias, administrative blocks, library, ICT block, and other structures are either completed or on-going. The Dickson Administration is building no fewer than 12 single-storeyed blocks of hostels to meet the accommodation needs of students of IJBCOE, Sagbama, majority of whom are currently housed in hotels around Sagbama rented by the administration. The project inventory also shows that no fewer than 50 lecture theatres or halls are under construction at the IJBCOE Sagbama. Other projects in progress include residential staff quarters for academic and non-academic staff of the school, and the Arts Theatre. Besides the administrative block, the library/ICT block and the lecture halls being put to use, other completed projects are the staff quarters (duplexes), ICT laboratory. It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Therefore, we bring to you projects executed by the Dickson Administration at the IJBCOE, Sagbama. HOSTELS LECTURE HALLS ICT HALLS LIBRARY Ijaw Patriots Reporting Live from London, United Kingdom
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 11:31:09 +0000