Appointments: FG Treating Bayelsa Unfairly, Dickson Cries Out

Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa

The Governor of Bayelsa State, Mr. Seriake Dickson, on Saturday expressed anger over what he described as the neglect of the oil-bearing state by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government.

Specifically, the governor noted that the state was poorly represented in all cadres of the federal civil service at the centre, especially in the selection of Permanent Secretaries for federal ministries.

Dickson called on Buhari to redress the trend which he described as “unfair and inequitable” to the people of the state.

The governor who spoke during a courtesy call on him by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita at the Government House, Yenagoa, also challenged Buhari to expedite efforts on the completion of the ongoing federal secretariat project in the state.

According to him, available employment statistics reveal that Bayelsa ranks among few states that suffer under-representation in all cadres of the Federal civil service.

A case in point, the governor said, was that at present, Bayelsa State does not have any federal permanent secretary.

Dickson therefore solicited the support of the HoS in the desire of the state to have a fair share in the distribution of employment and appointment slots.

“We will like you to give us listening ears as we make the case for a fair and equitable representation in all cadres of the public service of the federation. A case in point is the absence of a permanent secretary from Bayelsa State in the Federal Civil Service.

“As you are more aware than I am, since the retirement of Amb. (Dr) Godknows Igali, our state is now one of the few states that do not have representation at that level. I don’t believe it is deliberate. But, I will like to call your attention to that, because you are also a member of the Federal Executive Council”, Dickson said.

While congratulating Mrs Oyo-Ita on her appointment, Dickson expressed the readiness of the state government to partner her office in driving his administration’s policies on the welfare of public servants, particularly in the areas of housing and training.

He said the government had already acquired large expanses of land in some strategic areas of the state capital, Yenagoa and would collaborate with reputable development partners to build affordable residential houses for civil servants.

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