Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Bayelsa State Governor, Henry Seriake Dickson has further expanded his cabinet with the swearing in two more Commissioners: Markson Fefegha, Education and Collins Cocodia for Youth Development.
He charged Markson Fefegha to restructure the education sector by collaborating with stakeholders and streamline efforts made in the sector in the last four years.
A statement issued on Saturday night by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, said Dickson threw the challenge during the inauguration Government House, Yenagoa.
He called on Fefegha to expedite action in the completion of the model secondary schools, with some of them at 90 per cent completion stage, to enable the boarding schools commence academic work by September this year.
Also inaugurated by the governor was Chief Collins Cocodia, who was assigned to the Ministry of Youth Development, bringing the total number of members of his cabinet to 16, as part of plans to consolidate on the restoration agenda of the administration.
Dickson said the major focus of his second term will be on the completion and consolidation of all the programmes and policies, especially in the area of education, where the government has made substantial investments.
He said efforts made in the sector were already yielding the desired results, as Bayelsa State now ranks about 5th position performance in major national and international examinations in the country, stressing the need to make more investments in education.
The governor also stated that the secondary school students who were on the government’s scholarship programme across the country have been withdrawn to enjoy facilities at the demonstration school of the State Teachers Training Academy, with an enrolment of over 300 students.
He said, “The huge investments made in the education sector in the last four years, have started paying off. Our state that was occupying about 20th position in the ranking of performance in major national and international examinations is now number 5 in such examinations. Already, one of our first boarding schools has kicked off in the demonstration school of the State Teachers Training Academy, with the enrolment of over 300 students from top schools across the country, who have been brought back to enjoy the facilities there.”
Addressing Cocodia, Dickson urged him to strive hard, in mobilizing the youths and channeling their energies in the agricultural sector to achieve self-empowerment.
“I count on you to mobilize the youths for positive development so that they will not fall prey to failed politicians. The energies of the youths must be channeled to agriculture. I want you to spread the message of self-reliance. I want to see youths owning farms and government would provide land in all the local government areas for that purpose”, he emphasised.
Until his appointment, Deacon Markson Fefegha was the Principal Executive Secretary, Government House, while Chief Collins Cocodia retained his portfolio in the Ministry of Youth Development.
The Bayelsa state Government has been battling to meet up with the wage bill of its workers, which the state government claims is over bloated.
Meanwhile,a crucial meeting between the Bayelsa State Government and labour ended on Saturday, with the leadership of labour, requesting for more time to hold further consultations with its members to properly articulate and consider the various options initiated by the government to address the payment of salaries of workers.
During the meeting, Governor Henry Seriake Dickson said that the issue of sanitizing the payroll system in the State remained a major priority of the government to check future delays in the payment of workers’ salaries.
According to him, to resolve the lingering delay in the payment of salaries of civil servants, labour should be prepared to collaborate with the government in its current efforts at sanitizing the system.
Dickson said the intention of the government was to establish a workable system that will stand the test of time, adding that, if properly handled, it will put the issue of payroll and other fraudulent practices associated with the civil service at the State and Local Government levels to a final rest.
While commending labour for their understanding and patience during this difficult period, he emphasised that the government has set up a judicial commission of inquiry, to validate the authentic workforce of the State, with a view to expunging the ghost workers’ syndrome from the payroll system for the good of the state pleaded with assistance of Labour.