By the time he leaves office in February 2020, Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State would have set an enviable record not only for the longevity of his tenure but more importantly for his administration’s remarkable accomplishments the imprint of which are visible throughout the state.
Dickson is on the verge of breaking a jinx of longevity in office by becoming the first elected governor of Bayelsa to have completed two full terms, which in some ways created a stable environment for the enunciation of policies and programmes, and seeing to their diligent implementation.

By disrupting the high turnover of Administrators/Governors, there has been signaling to investors, contractors, and sundry stakeholders of stability, certainty and sanctity of contracts which has often been a challenge in Nigeria’s public sector contracting.



Carved out of the old Rivers State, Bayelsa had three Military Administrators from its birth in 1996 until the advent of democracy in 1999. And no one elected governor, before Dickson, had been able to complete two maximum terms of four years each.

Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha governed from May 1999 and was in his second term when he was dramatically impeached in December 2005, on the apparent instigation of the Federal Government. Alamieyeseigha was succeeded by Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, who governed from December 2005 until May 2007. Under a cloud of legal turbulence, Timipre Sylva served as governor from May 2007 to January 2012, when he was sacked by the courts. Even before his judicial ouster, Sylva vacated his seat and Bayelsa had an Acting Governor for a brief spell.

What has Seriake Dickson done with his two terms? The answer is that he has been both phenomenal and transformational. And six broad themes of evaluation bear eloquent testimony to my assessment of Dickson’s legacy. The themes, interlinked and mutually reinforcing, are philosophy and style of governance, prudent resource management with a high tenor of accountability, infrastructure, human capital development, inter-governmental relations, and the deepening of Izon cultural heritage.

Dickson’s flagship infrastructural project is, without question, the Bayelsa International Airport, from conception to finish. But what is no less important is that his administration began the rapid and conscientious implementation of the Yenagoa City Master Plan, which had earlier been finalised in 2007. The implementation of the Master Plan gave rise to massive construction activities in Greater Yenagoa—bridges, flyovers, dualization of roads, erosion control measures, health facilities, new housing schemes, more spacious structures for government ministries, departments and agencies.

Among several sectors of attention, Dickson’s passion has been evident in striving to alter for good the narrative of Bayelsa’s human capital. Through a fine mix of determination, policy, infrastructure, and meaningful resource allocation, the administration scores high in the human capital development arena.



The impact of his multi-pronged interventions has been felt—and will linger—in basic, secondary, and tertiary education. The first signal that he meant serious business was to declare a state of emergency in the education sector. Primary and secondary education is free along with textbooks, notebooks, uniforms, and other stationery.

First, in tackling accommodation shortages, the Dickson administration rehabilitated 400 primary and secondary schools throughout the state, constructed additional facilities complete with staff quarters and administrative blocks. The government introduced compulsory boarding in all three senatorial districts. A Sports Academy was set up at Asoama, while another Football Academy was established at Angalabiri. At the tertiary level, Dickson’s signature is writ large. He established the following: Medical University, Yenagoa......


By PROF. STEVE AZAIKI - member, house of representatives.


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Cc lalasticlala

To Bayelsans, please did Gej do anything at all as Governor of Bayelsa? People talk about Alameiyeseigha and Dickson's performances but nobody ever mentions Gej.