BENEFICIARIES OF FOREIGN SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME APPLAUDS GOV. DICKSON, MOBILIZES SUPPORT FOR HIS RE-ELECTION BID

BY PHILIP EKE, YENAGOA

Beneficiaries of foreign scholarship programme have assured that they would mobilize support for the re-election of Governor Seriake Dickson in order for him to do more in the education and other sectors of the state’s economy.

Commending the governor, while participating in the Governor’s monthly media chat programme in Yenagoa, one of the beneficiaries, Tony Adams said, he alongside five others just completed their Masters scholarship programme at the Stanford University, Manchester in the United Kingdom.

In his words: “Thank you, Your Excellency, five of us have just completed our Masters programmes at the Stanford University, Manchester in the United Kingdom, under the restoration scholarship programme.

“I am from Ovom in the Yenagoa local government area of the state. I appreciate you on behalf of others and we want you to continue with the good work.

The governor’s commitment for human capacity building, according to the beneficiary, afforded them the opportunity to pilot their careers outside the shores of the country.

He said the gesture would afford them the opportunity to contribute their quota to the economic development of the state and called on the Bayelsans to rally round the governor in his quest for a second term in office, adding that, this is the only way to reciprocate the gesture of the Dickson led administration.

Governor Dickson, who was overwhelmed with joy for the successful graduation of some of the scholars from the Stanford University, Manchester, assured that, the government would secure job placement for them, once the economy improves.

According to him, the future of Bayelsa is largely dependent on the future of the people, particularly the youths, who are future leaders.

“This country is in recession, the Teachers Training Institute is already equipped; that is not a problem. I will only approve the skeletal staff, that needs to be there to run it, but we have funding challenges and the good thing is that, we have put the physical structure on the ground, which is the most important thing.

“I cannot use money meant for salaries of workers to put into any project now, no matter the importance of the project and we are battling to pay salaries of workers. That is the problem we have.  I do not want to say your government is broke, but with someone who is not prudent you cannot do anything now, but it is because of our level of prudence, in terms of management of your scarce resources that we have been able to keep afloat like all other states.

“And again, I do not want to commit the state to unnecessary debt and mortgage your future, because I love my people, I love my state, I am not like others, who will go and take facilities and loans and they do not care what happens to the people; that is why we have not signed on the bail out forms, because I am not satisfied that we will not be mortgaging the future of our people.

“Most Governors would not mind and these are the characters that we have around, who want to be your Governor. I am not like that, I care about what happens to this state, even after my tenure.”