Clear backlog of salaries – Group tells Dickson

Reactions have continued to trail the sixth year anniversary of Chief Seriake Dickson-led government of Bayelsa state, with the latest being an appeal by a group, Better Bayelsa Mandate (BBM) to the Bayelsa state government to clear the backlog of salaries owed civil
servants in the state.

This was contained in a press statement signed by its leader (BBM) Mr. Preye Dressman.

The group stated that this gesture will be in the spirit of the current festivity period between Bayelsans, and the Restoration Government on the occasion of its six years’ anniversary.

It reads in part, “The state government has paid the much needed attention to education, as the bedrock of development in any society, since Chief Dickson has being at the helms of affair of our beloved state, especially for the establishment of Bayelsa State Education Trust Fund, seeking to make higher education available and affordable to indigent Bayelsans, upgrade of Secondary schools in the state and the face lift of model primary and secondary schools across the state.

“We say keep up the good work as you continue to thread in the right direction of making learning conducive and education attractive”, BBM added.

It will be recalled that BBM, alongside a human right activist, Mrs. Annkio Briggs last year constructively engaged the Restoration Government on the issue of disclosure of the Public Private Partners (PPP) behind the Africa University Toru-Oru, which was later identified as the state-owned University.

This has led to the blocking of the plans to give away about 1,200 hectares of Izon land to Fulani herdsmen amongst others.

There were claims in some quarters of state sponsored deployment of brute forces to suppress the BBM group, which at various times, tends to portray the state government as “anti people government”, in the past.

By Daniel Domotimi