The First lady of South Africa who's first name could Pass for an Ijo Name ''Nompumelelo'',Visited Bayelsa State on Friday the 27th of July and was Recieved by the Governor of Bayelsa State, His Excellency Henry Seriake Dickson and his beautiful Wife Mrs. Racheal Seriake Dickson.
> BAYELSA STATE GOVERNMENT COMMENCES WORK ON POLO CLUB PROJECT
The Bayelsa State Government has commenced the process of building a world-class Polo Club as part of its efforts to promote tourism and leisure in the State.
Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony near the Gloryland Castle in Government House, Yenagoa, Governor Seriake Dickson noted that the project when completed will not only serve as a sporting facility but also help to drive the development of the tourism sub-sector.
Governor Dickson reiterated that the present administration, is among other means, poised to build a new Bayelsa through sports, tourism, peace, wealth and job creation.
According to the Governor, his administration attaches great importance to sports and tourism because they have the capacity to create wealth, employ labour and strengthen bonds of friendship among individuals and groups from different parts of the world.
Hon. Dickson, who disclosed government’s desire to convert the Gloryland Castle to a 6-star hotel, explained that the decision was borne out of the need to create a conducive environment for investors that will soon be trooping into the state for business as well as generate more revenue.
While expressing Government’s readiness to partner the Nigerian Polo Federation to kick-start the First Bayelsa Polo Tournament, Governor Dickson stressed that the present administration will leave no stone unturned to make Bayelsa the safest state in the country
In his remarks, the President of the Nigerian Polo Federation, Mr. Francis Oboro assured the Governor of the Federation’s preparedness to collaborate with government to ensure that the game of Polo is fully entrenched in the sporting and tourism calenda of the state.
On completion of the project, Oboro said the Federation will not only participate in its commissioning but also inaugurate the Governor as the first member of the club in Bayelsa state.
Also speaking, a representative of the Managing Director of the contracting firm, NHD Interbiz Project Limited, Alhaji Sani Danu stated that the Bayelsa State Polo Club project, which is expected to be completed within 90 days, will occupy an area of land spanning about 9.8 hectares.
He added that the facility will consist of a standard club house, playing field, and horse stables as well as grooms quarters.
Highpoint of the ceremony was the presentation of a book titled “The Great Polo Clubs of the World” and the Federation’s compendium which contains the history of the game, names of the clubs and their members in the country.
Daniel Iworiso-Markson>
Senior Special Assistant to the Governor
(Media & Public Affairs)>
PROVERBS 24:27 CEV-EN says; Get your fields ready and plant your crops before starting a home.
To have a big dream and not prepare for it, can turn that dream into a nightmare..
( Luke 12:47 KJV says; And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.)
Success is a progressive realization of God given goals. It is the progressive movement towards your God given destiny. It is not possible for a person to succeed (good success) without heavens help. You have the responsibility to plan to succeed, but you have to trust God for direction. (Prov Proverbs 16:9 KJV says; A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps)
HOW TO PREPARE FOR SUCCESS.
You should know exactly what you want to do.
There is more than enough resources for a man who has a well articulated plan to utilize it, because God does not invest in foolishness.
(Prov 30:30- 34 says; I once walked by the field and the vineyard of a lazy fool, Thorns and weeds were everywhere and the stone wall had fallen down. When I saw this, it taught me a lesson: Sleep a little,Doze a little,Fold your hands and twiddle your thumbs,Suddenly poverty hits you and everything is gone!)
You should know how to do what you want..
God is interested in details, so pay attention to details while planning.
(luke 14:28-30 says; Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. What is the first thing you have to do? Won't you sit down and figure out how much it will cost and if you have enough money to pay for it, Otherwise,you will start building the tower, but not be able to finish. Then everyone who sees what is happening will laugh at you.They will say “You started building, but could not finish the job.”)
You should know when and where to do what you want.
Time is important to God..
( 1cor 14: 8 says;If a bugle call isn't clear, how would you know to get ready for battle?)
Ecclesiastes 3:1 KJV
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
You should know the resources you have and the resources you require.
We can get these pointers from Solomon as he made plans to build a temple unto the lord.
2 Chronicles 2:1-4 KJV
And Solomon determined to build an house for the name of the Lord, and an house for his kingdom. And Solomon told out threescore and ten thousand men to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand to hew in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred to oversee them. And Solomon sent to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, As thou didst deal with David my father, and didst send him cedars to build him an house to dwell therein, even so deal with me. Behold, I build an house to the name of the Lord my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual shewbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the Lord our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel.
2 CHRONICLES 2:5-10 CEV-EN
This will be a great temple, because our God is greater than all other gods.
No one can ever build a temple large enough for God—even the heavens are too small a place for him to live in! All I can do is build a place where we can offer sacrifices to him.
Send me a worker who can not only carve, but who can work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, as well as make brightly colored cloth. The person you send will work here in Judah and Jerusalem with the skilled workers that my father has already hired.
I know that you have workers who are experts at cutting lumber in Lebanon. So would you please send me some cedar, pine, and juniper logs? My workers will be there to help them, because I'll need a lot of lumber to build such a large and glorious temple. I will pay your woodcutters 2,000 tons of wheat, the same amount of barley, 400,000 liters of wine, and that same amount of olive oil.
THINGS TO NOTE ON SUCCESS
1. Success comes at a price, it has to cost you something.
2. Its not what you have, its what you do with what you have, because God gives to each man according to his ability.
3. Frustrations in life is traceable to lack of preparation.
4. Every man's sucess story reveals tips on how to get there, so study people who have been successful.
5. Success comes with greater responsibility. To whom much is given much also is expected (luke 12:48)
6. All successful people are givers; so be thrift but generous
REMEMBER.... In the house of the wise there is wine and oil, but the fool spends it all... so learn to Tithe and Save.
QUESTION?..... Why buy what you dont need?
Extracted from the teachings of Pst. David Wale Feso on Preparing for Success.
When i saw these pictures, i only had just a word to describe them, and the word was "WOW". Im sure you have never seen this beautiful and playful side of the first lady of our Nation..
Please Enjoy
> 20/07/2012
GOV DICKSON URGE NEW PERMECS TO STEER AWAY FROM PARTISAN POLITICS
Wife of the President, Dame Patience Jonathan and 18 others have been sworn-in as Permanent Secretaries in the Bayelsa State Civil Service with a charge to steer clear of partisan politics in the discharge of their responsibilities.
Delivering his charge at the swearing-in ceremony of the Permanent Secretaries at the Banquet Hall, Government house in Yenagoa, Governor Seriake Dickson admonished them not to get involved in politics and cause divisions in higher levels of authority.
According to Governor Dickson his administration is interested in building synergy and galvanise the people to enthrone enduring peace, prosperity and progress in all spheres of the state’s economy.
Explaining the rationale behind the appointment of the country’s first lady as Permanent Secretary, the Governor noted that, the appointment was in recognition of the significant contributions Dame Patience Jonathan has made to humanity both within and outside the country as the President African First Ladies Peace Mission and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, Women for change Initiative among others.
Hon. Dickson also remarked that the appointment of Dame Patience Jonathan as Permanent Secretary was a clear demonstration of his administration’s resolve to project merit above every other consideration.
He explained that, the Permanent Secretaries were appointed based on their seniority in service, geographical spread as well as other factors other important factors in conformity with Civil Service guidelines.
The State Governor restated the administration’s preparedness to reposition the Public Service with a view to making it one of the best in the country.According to him, training and retraining of Public Servants in the State will continue to be given priority through the establishment of the Public Service Training Institute.
While expressing satisfaction with the gains made so far in the ongoing Verification Exercise in the Public Service, Governor Dickson called for a synergy on the part of all genuine stake holders to sanitise the system for the overall progress of the state.He also commended the women that were sworn-in, stressing that, they all made the list of Permanent Secretaries purely on merit and charged them to be exemplary in the discharge of their duties.
Responding on behalf of the newly sworn-in Permanent Secretaries, the wife of the President, Dame (Dr) Patience Jonathan, assured the Governor of their resolve to deploy their collective expertise and experience to bear on the Public Service of the state.
The First Lady also expressed gratitude to the Governor for finding them worthy to be appointed Permanent Secretaries in the state, adding that they would do everything humanly possible to justify the confidence reposed in them by ensuring that the dividends of democracy and good governance are delivered to Bayelsans.
Describing their appointments as the beginning of a new dawn in the state, the first Lady remarked that, they will assist the Governor to fulfill his wishes and aspirations for Bayelsans in every strata of the economy.
Those that took their oath of office along side the First Lady include Mr J E Oye, Samson Franco Ayebadomo, Mrs Anthonia Koroye, Mr Ziwari Billy, Buruboyefe John and Dikuro Ayebanuah. Others are Mr Serge Williams, Ozu Tomo Kuruom, Izein G. I. A, Mrs Philomena Aladei, Dr Omietimi Kojo, Philip Izonebi Ere and Otuogha Mathias. Also sworn in were Mr James Clinton, Mrs Linnet Tebepah, Moses Teibowei, Dr F A Samayin and Vivian Odiowei.Daniel Iworiso-Markson
Senior Special Assistant to the Governor
(Media & Public Affairs)
EXTEMPORAL REMARKS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, HON. HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON, GOVERNOR OF BAYELSA STATE, ON THE OCCASION OF THE OFFICIAL SWEARING-IN OF PERMANENT SECRETARIES, AT THE BANQUET HALL, GOVERNMENT HOUSE, YENAGOA ON FRIDAY 20TH JULY, 2012
I wish to congratulate our new Permanent Secretaries that have just taken their oath of office and oath of allegiance. Let me on behalf of a grateful state, a state that you have all toiled and served, a state that you have sacrificed to build, congratulate you on this well deserved honour.Let me say that your appointment as Permanent Secretaries signals your arrival at the apex of the public service of our dear state and therefore you are now at the top of your chosen profession, therefore I say congratulations and I wish you all the best in the years and in the journey ahead.About two weeks ago, I swore-in Chairman and members of the Bayelsa State Civil Service Commission and on that occasion, I said over and over again, our resolve to restore the public service to its pride of place and glory once again.I did say on that occasion, that we are going to motivate, train and continue to train our public service, to reposition it as one of the foremost civil service in the country. I also indicated at the occasion that we were going to begin the construction of the Public Service Training Institute to enable us train and re-train the public service to meet the needs of the service in the state.But at that occasion, as you may recall, I also stated that we were going to re-invigorate our determination which we started since coming into office to check the excesses, which as you all know, clearly abound in the public service.As you know, we have been pursuing a verification programme of our workers and let me use this occasion once again to thank you all the public servants of this state for your understanding and cooperation and solidarity. The verification exercise is an ongoing process.Let me use this occasion to say that we have taken all these strategic steps to reposition the public service of this state. The workers verification programme has yielded some results, very wonderful results. We have achieved some significant reduction in our wage bill, that is still not yet good enough and we are going to re-invigorate it further.I want to thank the State House of Assembly because I know that they are giving the expeditious hearing to the bill that we have sent to them to further criminalise payroll and other fraudulent activities in the public service.About the ceremony that we are here to witness, let me say that we followed due process in making this appointment in exercise of my constitutional powers and as all of you, Permanent Secretaries just sworn-in will attest, not one of you lobbied any of us in government. None of you knew you were going to be made Permanent Secretaries until the decision was taken and announcement made.For most of you, I am seeing you for the first time. We took the decision to appoint Permanent Secretaries to fill existing vacancies in that very high cadre of leadership. We consulted the appropriate quarters in our government and gave a clear directive for the names of the most senior public officers from every Local Government Area to be made available and that is what we acted on.But because we know that we must sometimes take deliberate measures to project and protect the women folk in our society who have played a very critical role in our development as a state and as a society, I also directed the Head of Service to, in addition to the general seniority list, send me the list of the most senior women in the public service, local government by local government and that is why we have this considerable number of women who are also part of the number who have been appointed. And that is an ongoing thing because in this government we believe that we must give a pride of place and sometimes go a step further to project and protect our women. And when we talk about women, the need to encourage and project them, this sometimes looks like a distant concept. But ladies and gentlemen and fellow Bayelsans, the women we are talking about in reality, are our daughters, sisters, wives, mothers and they deserve to be projected and protected in our service to our people.And so the permanent secretaries who just subscribed to their oath of office, you have renewed your oath of allegiance to this great state and all persons. And from available information that I have been briefed, you all are persons of proven integrity, sound character whose dedication and service of the cause of our state through out your careers in the public service have earned you this enviable positions.Let me therefore, turn to the newly sworn-in permanent secretaries of this great state and that on behalf of your grateful state, I like to thank you all and all other permanent secretaries, senior public officers of this great state for your ... continuing and abiding dedication, service and solidarity to the worthy cause of our people.Let me assure you that as long as you do what is right and proper in the service of our people, this government like every other government will stand with you and by you at all times.
APPOINTMENT OF A NON-INDIGENE AS PERMANENT SECRETARY
But let me also take another issue, which you all are familiar with. But before then I will talk about what informed the appointment of the medical doctor who is here with us today, Dr Samayain. As some of you may know, a lot of people raised issues about his appointment on the ground that he is not biologically from Bayelsa State and I, in furtherance of the openness and open mindedness which we brought to this government and in furtherance of the ideals of the unification of the Ijaw nation which informed our appointment of a commissioner for the first time in this state who is not from Bayelsa State geographically. I also took that decision and I believe that subsequent governments will see the need to make appointments on the basis of merit. Dr Samayain’s appointment showcases the need for us to rally round our people in the Ijaw nation. I do not see why a man who has spent his entire working career serving and taking care of the sick in this state should be stopped from attaining the topmost rank in the public service that he rightly deserves.Now my dear fellow Bayelsans, these are the underlying principles upon which our restoration agenda is based and we intend to continue.We are here to rally round our people not just the people of Bayelsa State but to rally round our people wherever they may reside and in making decisions about selecting people for recognition and appointment, we are not going to discriminate. We will only be guided by decisions that will be taken in the interest of our people. That is what we have done and I like all others who are in the public service of our state irrespective of sentiments to feel free to aspire to the highest position. I assure you that you can only be limited by your own self. There are no limitations, if you put in your best, we will recognize and reward as well as encourage you. And that is what we have done in this case.
APPOINTMENT OF THE FIRST LADY AS PERMANENT SECRETARY
In the exercise of my constitutional powers, we are all aware that there has been some talk about appointment of our dear mother who is here with us. I believe it has become clear to everybody especially to people who are from Bayelsa State that not only is she a civil servant, not only has she been a civil servant in this state, she has been for a long time on a directorate level and apart from that she merits this appointment with all the parameters we set out.As I have explained before now, the constitution gives me as Governor, powers to make appointments and I have exercised that power. By so doing, I have not done anything wrong or illegal.I have talked about the need for our state to harness all available resources, human and material wherever those resources are, wherever those resources may be and that is why I have taken this decision in our best collective interest so that we can forge ahead and restore this great state to its lost glory, pride and honour in the shortest possible time.I have talked about the imperative to project and promote the cause of the womenfolk and you all understand that and have seen it through the actions we have taken today.Let me once again, state that it is important that wives of Governors, Vice Presidents, Presidents and all other spouses whose positions are not recognized by the laws of the Country and are not funded by the Government should be encouraged and supported to pursue and maintain their independent careers. Happily, there are several instances in this country where wives of presidents, governors, national assembly members etc have gained recognition and have been rewarded in their chosen careers.
CHARGE TO THE NEWLY SWORN-IN PERMANENT SECRETARIES
Let me say that my charge to the Permanent Secretaries is to be loyal and work hard as you have always done. In the case of our dear mummy in whom we are well pleased, let me use this occasion to acknowledge your contributions to the development of this great state and your service to Nigeria. We believe that your service to this state as wife of a Deputy Governor, Governor, Vice President and President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who is now a sitting President, these are no mean feats.And in doing all of this, not only have you been serving this state, you been serving humanity and Nigeria at large and we want to use this occasion to underscore our appreciation for what you will continue to do by giving support to our leader and elder brother, Mr. President.Before I end this speech, I have told you what we expect from you as Permanent Secretaries. Let me now say what we don’t expect. What we don’t expect from you all is your involvement in partisan politics. This state cannot afford further divisions. Our government is bent on stopping division between levels of authority. We are interested in building synergy between this state and all other structures. And within this state, we want to provide an umbrella that will galvanise and unify all our people for our united cause for development, security and prosperity. And so my charge to you, is to continue to do your best as you have been doing, but let me say that we do not want to hear that any Permanent Secretary or any highly placed officer in the public service of this state is unnecessarily partisan or is involved in actions that are capable of polarising our people. So on behalf of the government and good people of Bayelsa State, I like to congratulate you all.
Thank you and God bless you all.
