Gwegwe unfolds areas of priority for Governor Diri’s 1st 100 days . Calls for reduction of permanent Secretaries, appointees

   

                                                       By Austin Genesis

  The Governorship candidate of Save Nigeria Congress (SNC) in the last year’s governorship election in Bayelsa State, His Highness Gwegwe Righteous Okpoebi (JP), the Ogiligba 1 of Atissa Kingdom has unfolded areas of priority, advising Governor Douye Diri to focus in his 1^st 100 days in office to enhance the socio-economic well being of the people and promote good governance in the state. 

His Highness Gwegwe Righteous Okpoebi (JP),                  Ogiligba 1 of Atissa Kingdom

    Chief Gwegwe who stated this while speaking to Global Overseer reporter in Yenagoa, had said emphatically, lamenting that the previous administration led by former Governor Henry Seriake Dickson  attach less important to human development and make life unbearable for the people particularly civil servants and retirees, thus owing  backlog of debts before it’s exit.

  He advised Governor Diri to use his First One Hundred Days in office to pay all promotion arrears  and gratuity owed civil servants and retirees in the state.  He also enjoined the governor to pay pension arrears, pending 18 percent and salary arrears and rectify the under stepping of the civil servants salary Grade Level in the state under l Mrs Josephine Igodo’s Panel.

Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State

     

   Noting that the State Government is the only industry everybody depend for survival since the creation of the state, the SNC Gubernatorial Candidate said, his appeal become imperative in order to boost economic activities in the state since all business activities depends on the civil servants and retirees to exist as there were no other industries in the state.

  In his word “What I will advise Governor Douye Diri for his First 100 Days in office is to accord maximum priority to the welfare of the people of Bayelsa State.

   He should accord high priority to human development to make life more meaningful for the people. This is because the previous administration has made people live like as if they are slaves in the state. So, now that he is the Miracle Governor everybody believes that he is going to perform miracles to make the people come back to their normal life status.

   Because there were so many debts being owed by the previous administration such as retiree’s gratuity and pension arrears, Civil Servants promotion arrears; we have 18 percent arrears, Paris club arrears as well as rectification of Civil Servants Salary Grade level under stepping arising from last Mrs Josephine Igodo’s Panel including slashing of Civil Servant salaries. So, I want governor Diri to prove himself as the miracle governor that has come to administer the affairs of the state without sentiments, marginalization, oppression, victimization, greed and selfishness at the detriment of the poor masses.”

   Chief Gwegwe who congratulate Governor Diri on his emergence as the miracle Governor of the state also counseled him to stay away from sycophants and people who attach important to greed and selfish gains at the disadvantage of the people believing that as a patriotic Son of Ijaw nation he will do everything to give all the segments of the people of the state a sense of belonging.

   The SNC governorship candidate also used the forum to advised governor Diri to include massive infrastructural development such as construction of good motorable roads to link the three senatorial districts and the rural communities and ensuring constant electricity supply in this year’s budget.

   He calls for swift construction of road to link Agge deep seaport to boost up internal revenue generation in the state.

    “If roads are connected to Brass and Southern Ijaw Local Government Areas, the living condition of the people of the three senatorial districts will be uplifted to make life more meaningful”, he stated.

   Gwegwe added that the move would also check the numerous social ills bedeviling the state, pointing out that it will enable security operatives have access to the inter-land to maintain security, law and order.

   Speaking further he affirmed that it would also address the problems of transportation difficulty in the state to enable the transportation of agricultural products.

    He threw his weight behind Governor Diri’s decision not to appoint commissioners till the expiration of three months saying that the decision will afford him the opportunity to study all documents and know who should be giving appointment to join him in the task of administering the affairs of the state for the general interest of the people.

    Gwegwe also urged governor Diri not to appoint large number of political appointees like the previous administration to enable his administration move forward base on the limit of available resources.

     On the proliferation of the number of permanent secretaries a few weeks to the exit of former Governor Henry Seriake Dickson’s administration, SNC governorship candidate enjoined governor Diri to use his wisdom to slash down the number of permanent secretaries according to the number of ministries in the state to curtail the wage bill of workers and political appointees.

   Gwegwe recalled that several retirees of the state have died as a result of the delay in the payment of their gratuities and pensions and want the Governor to look into their plight by address their plights within his First 100 Days in office.