Seriake Dickson, Bayelsa State governor, has expressed delight at his nomination as Independent Man of the Year 2018 over his outstanding performance in the areas of health, education, infrastructure, and security in his state.

Governor Dickson thanked the management of Independent Newspapers for the award and said it will spur him for greater achievements in Bayelsa State.

“You need to know that Independent is Bayelsa’s paper; we need to know that. I read it every day; it is part of what they buy for me every day, but now we are going to take our relationship to another level,” Dickson said.


Earlier, Ade Ogidan, Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of Independent Newspapers, who presented the letter of nomination for the award to Governor Dickson in Abuja on Saturday, said the award was given in recognition of the governor’s transformation of the state through development projects.

Ogidan said, “We are pleased to inform you that the management and board of editors of Independent Newspapers, publishers of Daily Independent, Saturday Independent and Sunday Independent, have nominated you as Man of the Year 2018.


“In nominating you, the selection committee considered your leadership qualities and style of governance that have significantly improved the lives of people of Bayelsa State.

“Your restoration administration has made and is still making indelible footprints in all sectors in the state, be it education, health, infrastructure, security, public private interaction, environment, technology, and job creation just to mention a few.”

He said Independent Newspapers recognised the initiatives of the governor in making the state safe, secured, and peaceful thereby promoting both foreign and local investments on an unprecedented scale.

“You have commissioned and still working on several world class developmental projects, including Bayelsa State Health Insurance scheme, state HIV/TB/Malaria Centre, and state information centre. You also built the Bayelsa Specialist Hospital, the Bayelsa Diagnosis Centre, and the Bayelsa Drug Distribution Centre,” Ogidan added.

He noted that the educational revolution of the governor has moved the state from an educationally backward state to 5th and 3rd on West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO), respectively.

According to him, Governor Dickson also midwifed the take-off of the construction of an oil refinery, Azikel Refinery Project, being the first industrial enterprise which would be operated through public private entrepreneurship.

The award ceremony comes up on January 17, 2019 at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

https://www.akelicious.net/2019/01/independent-award-will-spur-me-to-do.html