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Everywhere you go in Bayelsa State, there is a tendency that the works of Governor Henry Seriake Dickson will touch you. It is inevitable that the foundations that he laid that transported Bayelsa to modernity would not escape you, no matter your business in the state. Whether it is the airport, the three senatorial roads that opened the rural parts of the state for participation in economic and social activities and many other development projects in education, healthcare and security, his place in Bayelsa’s history is well-secured.
It was Governor Dickson who, after 50 years, actualised Chief Melford Okilo’s dream of having an Isaac Boro City around Kaiama, Boro’s hometown. Governor Dickson built the road and several projects there, including the NYSC camp. And now a thriving new city as Okilo envisioned has sprouted.
The Governor Dickson administration started many life-changing projects: the dualisation of the 15-kilometre Isaac Boro Road, and its flyover, the first in Bayelsa, which modernised Yenagoa, the Amassoma-Tombia Road, and the Toru-Ebeni Bridge, the longest in the state. The administration was heavy on policies, projects and programmes that changed lives and the state.
For the airport and the three senatorial roads, it takes guts, vision, courage and selfless dedication for someone, even at a time of plenty not in a recession, to confront a huge mangrove, water-logged, swampy forest to establish an airport. It takes the same raw guts and commitment to development to take the Sagbama-Ekeremor Road from NDDC after Bolou-Orua to Ekeremor through forbidding rain forests and swamps that dared the bravest.
Who could have thought it was possible to reclaim that huge area to construct a road to Ekeremor that has been in use since 2017?
Governor Dickson embraced Bayelsa’s challenging terrain with the courage to conquer it. These projects remain not only the most challenging but lasting legacies that will stand from generation to generation as testaments of one man’s vision, courage and dedication to development of his people.
The hard work these projects entailed began from conceptualisation, assembling competent teams, acquisition of the land, payment of compensation, clearing the mangrove forest, escalation of the top soil, managing communities and security challenges, including the deployment of local vigilantes, military and security personnel to safeguard workers and equipment for years, allocation of resources, and the governor having the presence of mind to hold endless meetings to co-ordinate all these.
Every year, rains and perennial flooding were constant factors that added to costs and disrupted timelines for completion of the projects.
Governor Dickson never compromised on professionalism and competence in his core team as well as selection of contractors for major developmental projects. While local contractors and chieftains handled most projects in communities and other sectors, within their competence and experience, he insisted that all major projects were awarded to competent, and well-known contractors. To maintain quality and standards, contracts were never politicised.
In 2012, when he became governor, he invited major international contractors desirous of working in the state and they were allocated bases to commence work. The construction of the airport was awarded to Dantata & Sawoe, which also got the Sagbama-Ekeremor Road that was later awarded to Setraco. The Central Senatorial Road, Yenagoa-Oporoma, was awarded to CCECC. The Amassoma-Tombia Road with many bridges was awarded to CCECC. Julius Berger handled the dualisation of the 15-km Isaac Boro Road in Yenagoa. These are examples of the policy of quality and high standards that Governor Dickson insisted on and how he attained them through engaging competent professionals.
The reclamation of the airport site, which took almost two years, was done by Westminister Dredging and Vanol. The same contractors dredged the Sagbama-Ekeremor when earlier attempts to stockpile sand along the communities caused more delays in the execution of the contract.
International contractors had to be engaged after the sand that local contractors piled along the several communities on the project corridor proved ineffective for the treacherous terrain.
These were the efforts that birthed the airport, and the roads. The Central Senatorial Road from Yenagoa to Oporoma was done to Ayama, since 2015, asphalted up to Aguobiri and sand-filled further beyond Aguobiri before the end of the Governor Dickson administration. The new administration has taken the road to Angiama and started the bridge to Oporoma.
For the Sagbama-Ekeremor Road, everyone knew that Governor Dickson took over the road from Boluo-Orua and, by 2017, embarked on the historic drive to Ekeremor on a road partly stabilised and sand-filled. Construction of all the major bridges were ongoing, and most of them were finished and some parts of the road already asphalted. All the communities have been accessible through the road since 2017. It is commendable that Governor Douye Diri has concluded the remaining asphalting and civil works on the road, which is set for inauguration. The people are eternally grateful for these projects.
The bridges over canals and waterways that criss-cross Bayelsa are products of the determination of Governor Dickson to ensure Bayelsa is better, Bayelsa is open for business, Bayelsa is ready to welcome the world.
Nembe-Brass Road was the outcome of devotion, time and leadership. Governor Dickson was dissatisfied with the pace of work on the project that Shell and Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) awarded. The governor paid N3 billion to the contractors to end the disagreement over gaps in funding. Since 2015/2016 the road has been in use, setting the stage for the Nembe-Brass end, which the state and federal governments are about to continue.
It took monumental and back-breaking work to clear the road from Ekeremor to Agge, the site of the deep seaport. Governor Dickson awarded the contract to the Nigerian Army Engineering Corps to build a jetty and facilities for security agencies.
Agge is envisioned as a deep seaport in Ekeremor. The facilities for Customs, police, Immigration, security posts had been finished before he left. Land was acquired and compensation paid for an international market, a power hub and an industrial park in Elemebiri/Agbere, with the business opportunities in the South East and South South as the targets.
The port, international market and industrial park were located on the boundary of Bayelsa State and other states with proximity to Onitsha, the commercial hub of the South East and South South.
