By Willy Bozimo
When some weeks back I read a reasoned piece by Lindsay Barret, a veteran journalist who had sojourned for many decades in Nigeria since the ‘infamous’ Civil War (1967-1970) fought by Nigerian soldiers and their brothers East of the Niger. Mr. Lindsay Barret, who can be described as an authority on the dynamics and ever changing political jigsaw puzzle in the country had domiciled in Bayelsa state for upwards of twenty years since the state was created. A Jamaican by birth, and a Nigerian by journalistic association of the years and a Bayelsan by marriage to a daughter of the waters, as opposed to the daughter of proverbial soil. He is our son in Law from Odi, the village that was once razed to the ground under the dragon- ridden days of a former President- OBJ.
But today, we are looking at a seemingly spooky and darkening plains of the Bayelsa state- the Glory of All Lands.
Bayelsa state was created some 19 odd years ago by the dark- goggle wearing former maximum dictator, General Sani Abacha. And for that singular act, the late Ruler had remained evergreen in the hearts of all izons- Anglicized by the former British colonial Master- as the ‘IJAWS’ by the British.
The scintillating piece by Lindsay Barret, titled ‘Of Benefactors and Beneficiaries’ preceded by a major screaming ‘Bayelsa Imbroglio’ an imagery that was suggestive of major political earthquake exploding unless major stake- holders, who have the patriotic turn of mind to avert a cataclysmic implosion that would reverberate beyond the massive Wetland that is hub and major home to Gas and Oil. Bayelsa state is literally, floating on more Gas than Oil, and if properly, harnessed by a patriotic and daring political leadership in future can turn it into an El- Dorado for the Niger Delta and the entire country’s rapid transformation of gas- based power generation for the whole Niger Delta and the country at large.
According the unbiased analytical piece published in the Wednesday Vanguard of August 12, on page 55. The page is illustrated with the pictures of the incumbent Governor, Seriake Henry Dickson, with their familiar bowler Dark hats wearing spectacles and the picture of the former Governor, Mr. Timipre Sylva, also with the typical Bayelsa bowler hat and also bespectacled. He is now an APC leader, jockeying as it were, to allow his new party to berth in the ‘Glory of All Lands’.
My friend and professional colleague had woven it accurately in these lines when he said ‘ The fallout of the loss of the PDP’s nationwide stature as the ruling party at the centre has reverberated with enormous negative impact on the affairs of the Bayelsa state chapter of the party.’
The contest for the soul of Bayelsa state seemed staked, ostensibly, in favour of the ruling PDP Governor Henry Seriake Dickson, but with the streams of defections following the loss of the Presidency by the former President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, it is fast becoming what the late Afrobeat King of blessed memory in Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s ‘Roforofo fight’ song between the PDP and the audacious APC , whose main weapon is that it now controls the Federal government in Abuja.
Leading the APC is the former Governor, Mr. Timipre Sylva , and a host of others, who I understand, appeared disgruntled and had seemingly ganged up with Timipre Sylva, strategizing to import and implant a ‘Broom Revolution’ in an Umbrella anchored PDP Bayelsa state, which over the years had given secured cover to three PDP Governors pioneered by the one and Only Governor- General of the Izon Nation, in DSP Alameiseigha, quickly followed by the former President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, and the third Masquerade was Chief Timipre Sylva, whose second term bid was truncated by the PDP leadership which denied him the opportunity in 2011 and he was replaced by Barrister Henry Seriake Dickson in 2012.
The Bayelsa Darkening plains currently paints the picture of a classic case of a pugilistic war amongst Izons, between Timipre Sylva from the Nembe axis and Governor Henry Seriake Dickson, another Izon from the Sagbama axis for the December 5th Gubernatorial contest.
Two salient aspects of Lindsay Barret’s piece were as touching many years back as it is apposite even today. Listen to this telling truism from Lindsay Barret ‘ It has become clear that the most substantial aspect of the domestic economy in the small but vitally important oil producing state is neither Agriculture nor Industrialization but political patronage.’ And he further said that ‘ It became a noticeable factor in the governance of the state for leaders to reward their cronies, associates and family members with privileged positions and lucrative government contracts’
Lindsay Barret may have had an over-kill on this score but generally, the name of the political game in the country is such that winners of elections had always had what had come to be known as the ‘Winner Takes All’ . I Think, It has become axiomatic for winning parties and Governors to reward party loyalists who worked for the enthronement of the party in power. In the nature of politics in Nigeria, these overbroad- generalizations are not peculiar to Bayelsa state but cuts across all states in the federation, as a rule rather than an exception.
Lindsay Barret’s telling assertions that the state was largely run by cliques and representatives or certain personalities felt righteously or wrongly, that if they are not in charge, then they will rock the Ship of state.
My main concern in this narrative as a stake- holder, an Izon son from Delta state, who has seen the dangerous spectre of
Bayelsa state cascading falling head-long into the opposition APC because certain politicians felt their interests would be better served if they decamped wholesale into the new ruling Party with a broom revolution.
One is reminded again that just as some PDP Governors decamped openly to the opposition from the ruling PDP and that led to the loss of the Federal government at the centre and many other Northern states with monies from their state treasuries to sponsor the APC election victory.
My Izon brothers in Bayelsa state, who ought to stand for the ‘TRUTH’ which IZON symbolizes,
must realize that we as a people, almost endangered in the Country, had a son at the helm of affairs lost out rather, ignobly, due to the conspiracies of the Yoruba West and the Northern Oligarchy may signal further death knell in the future for our people, if we do not hold fast to the Bayelsa state, the symbolic home to all Izons in Nigeria and the diaspora. And the only redeeming grace left for the upliftment of the fading prestige of pre-eminent son, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan for the PDP to, at least keep, Bayelsa state as a totem for the Izon Nation. If we ganged up with eyes wide open with our detractors and internal colonial masters- Hausa Fulani Mafia and some Oduduwa collaborators, then we are not worth the enormous sacrifices of the Boros of this world who fought ‘A twelve Days Revolution War’- to redeem whatever was left of the Izon ethnic pride and the entire Niger Delta.
The coming elections in Bayelsa state is not about Governor Seriake Dickson but the collective pride and souls of the Izons in Nigeria, the fourth largest ethnic group. Let us swallow our individual pride and losses incurred because of political alignments over the years but the 2016 gubernatorial election in Bayelsa is a war to end all ethnic wars, for a state that is indigenous to the Izon people must stick and stay together to give our former President some modicum of respect and dignity. In a democracy, people are free to make choices but not on this last ditch battle for the TRUE meaning of Izon people- the REAL authentic people, not to be lured by the filthy lucre of unearned wealth and loot from known and unknown sources. For the PDP to lose the next Governorship election is like all true sons of Bayelsa state have been bought over by the powers that be to be urinating on seemingly decomposition political body of the former President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, whose legendary luck could not take him far into the second term. I have listened to Governor Dickson Seriake speak so eloquently about moving Bayelsa state to the next level of economic boom at his recent Economic and investment Forum in the Banquet Hall in Yenagoa. As the flag-bearer for the next election, Governor Dickson needs to genuinely open up his frontiers of participatory democracy by opening the doors and call his fellow PDP brothers to the table and discuss the implications of a possible Armageddon on December 5, 2015 for the PDP party primaries.
My fears run deep Dickson’s Oratorical prowess alone may not carry a contender too far in this befuddled and darkening plains of the creeks- filled Mangrove swamps of Bayelsa state. Governor Dickson must hurry and come down from his high moral ground and what some of his bitter critics describe style as being un-necessarily arrogant and alienating of former friends, who believe they too have a stake in the growth of Bayelsa state.
In an Izon parlance, nobody wants to be belittled no matter however poor- ‘Ekere Ogbale mene aghan ‘
They will tell you to your face ‘ARE YOU FEEDING US’ the literal translation of the Izon wisecrack.
In his last summation, Mr Lindsay Barret said ‘The sad truth is that no matter which party rules in Bayelsa state its progress as an economic and political entity will continue to be held back by the lack of genuine commitment to selfless service on the part of those who have seized the political high ground except there is a major change of attitude by the political class in the state.’
Lindsay Barret referred to political jobbers in Bayelsa in a terrain that has no industries but one of the salient feelings I gathered during my three days trip to Yenagoa was that almost every other former big man who had become rich, especially, under previous PDP governments, feel side-lined by the Henry Seriake Dickson’s Administration, who is now preaching transparency and desirous of moving the state into industrialization and become the Gas hub of the entire Niger Delta, and light up the country with its enormous gas deposits.
There must be a quick reaching out to all his former friends and all PDP strong members, most of whom, had decamped to the APC who can turn the next election in his favour .
Strong rhetoric from him is impressive but winning an election takes much more than flowing eloquence and the power of oratory he has in plenty. Climbing down from his high horse will work the magic in his December elections. His middle name SERIAKE means in Izon, ‘He has picked it up’, meaning the PDP ticket is within his grasp but mobilizing the voters from all the creeks can only be down through humble supplication to your brothers and sisters spread across the numerous creeks and rivulets, in a largely aquatic state.
It is not easy to move away radically from a system unbridled patronage based way of political reality in Bayelsa state and the earlier Mr. Dickson Seriake realized it, the better for his political victory at the polls in 2016. Do not allow the present circumstances of the present APC Federal might to overwhelm or intimidate you because you are on the right side of history to save and wipe the tears from our brother former President Jonathan and with DSP Alameiseigha by your side, you will sail through the tide of PDP members decamping to APC and avoid all patriotic ‘IJAWS FROM BEING AT EACH OTHER’S JAWS’ . Paddle on Seriake Dickson, the creeks are awaiting your campaign boats and canoes, the Izon spirits would prevail at the dying moments. What transpired recently when some PDP top shots declared for the APC, it only reconfirmed the old fears and fellow travellers of the political elite who had made good for themselves in the past and are, perhaps, determined to entrench the legacies of earlier democratic ‘chopping’ spree.
