Bayelsa: Uniqueness Of The Restoration Administration

There comes a time in the life of a people when we tell ourselves the home truth. Some people compare the Restoration Administration to past administrations. This is wrong because Restoration is not just a paradigm shift but a new ideology of government.

Restoration has evolved a set of rules and principles guiding individual and governmental actions, and these include some of the characteristics of good governance namely:

1. Transparency
2. Accountability
3. Consensus building
4. Participation
5. Rule of Law
6. Responsiveness
Restoration Administration is different in many respects and this explains why it has become a synonym for good governance. The difference between Restoration and other administrations are as follows:

Firstly, the Restoration Administration is anchored on SHARED VISION. We have seen administrations in Bayelsa State where the Governor and His Deputy work at cross purpose. We have also seen administrations where the Executive and the Legislature had rancorous relationships leading to impeachments, litigation, and open confrontation. In the Restoration Administration there is share a vision between the Executive and the Legislature and an enviable, harmonious relationship between the Governor and his Deputy. This symphony of harmony attests to the caliber of people at the saddle and the degree of transparency with which they transact governmental businesses. Restoration is a TEAM.

Secondly, the Restoration Administration has a sense of mission. At inception, those at the saddle knew the state of the economy, the massively intimidating debt profile bequeathed by the immediate past administration and what strategies to adopt to escape the peonage of development deficit. This informed initiation and formulation of plans and programmes to kick-start the Restoration Agenda. The robust human capital development built-in component in the various Ministries and Agencies is an eloquent testimony to the pervading sense of mission, which all believers of good governance must come to terms with.

Thirdly, the Restoration Administration has popularized prudence and efficiency in the application of resources. In recorded history, good and effective leaders are people who use resources efficiently to maximize the minimum. It is this quality that enables Governor Seriake Dickson to attend to many needs/projects at the same time. In recorded history, good and effective leaders are people who use resources efficiently and to maximize the minimum. It is this quality that enables the Governor to attend to the numerous needs/projects simultaneously before the economic melt-down.

Fourthly, the Restoration Administration thrives on Peace & Security: This is the priority of the Restoration Administration. On assumption of office, the first step Governor Dickson did was to review the security architecture of government. You can understand why Yenagoa now plays host to all major national and international events such as World Tourism Day, National Festival, Practical Local Content Conference, and other hospitality related festivals/events. Peace is the plank on which development can be premised. The existing peace has strengthened the relationship between the State and the Centre.

Fifthly, Governor Dickson is making efforts to reviving the Ijaw Culture on several fronts. The Restoration Administration is reviving the fast fading Ijaw language by promoting the teaching and learning the Ijaw language. A multi-pronged approach is used in this direction. First is to make compulsory the teaching and learning of Ijaw language in Bayelsa Schools. Secondly, scholarships have been awarded to Teachers who are willing to learn and teach the Ijaw language. There is a Department of Ijaw language in the State-Owned Bayelsa State College of Education. It is now compulsory for Public servants, Civil Servants and politicians alike to adorn their native attires every Friday as a way of promoting the Ijaw culture. Governor Dickson is credited to be the founder of the new and emerging Bayelsa State. It was patriotism that made him to bring home the remains of Adaka Boro home to rest.

Sixthly, the Restoration Administration is proactive, progressive and forward looking. It is prudent, transparent and accountable. The business-as-usual scenario has been put behind us. The building of infrastructure has been intensified preparatory to effective industrial take-off. Agriculture is growing; massive investment is being made in education. The tempo of human capacity building has been accelerated. While other States are lamenting about the non-payment of salaries to Civil Servants, the PDP government in Bayelsa State is right on track. Some call it prudence and transparency while others call it accountability and prioritization even amidst lean resources. Emphasis on building strong Institutions: Governor Seriake Dickson and his amiable deputy assumed office to meet very weak institutions. This situation created room for fraud, ghost workers, and infractions by Government officials without discipline. Work ethics had broken down; cultism

rode roughshod and gangland wars held sway over civility.

Now, these cultists groomed by the past administration and voluntarily they were made to renounce cultism. Some of them have their capacities being built in several other areas: Ministry of Science, Technology & Manpower Dev; Ministry of Youth Dev; Ministry of Education; etc. Strong institutions have been built to carry the capacity of the reforms.

Finally, the Restoration Administration builds institutions that have been established include the Institute of Tourism, Catering and hospitality Management, the Jasper Boro College of Education and the Teacher Training Institute. Also underway are the Sports Academy and the Maritime Academy. Handwork and skills acquisition among youths is being encouraged and work ethics has taken root. The pace of development is moving fast because there is value for money, and the architecture of governance has been titrated to turn Bayelsa into the JERUSALEM OF IJAW NATION.

We observe that some of those who served in the immediate past administration are pained by the achievements of Governor Seriake Dickson. This is expected. The restoration administration is not perfect because no human government is perfect but what you cannot take away from Governor Seriake Dickson is performance, performance and more performance. That is the mantra of Lee Kuan Yew. Governor Seriake Dickson has earned himself a second tenure already and no amount of distraction can change that.

Bayelsa Social Media Chief
August 28, 2015

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Articles by Idumange John