From Wole Balogun, Ado Ekiti
BAYELSA State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has advised the Federal Government and militants in the Niger Delta to perish the thought that violence can be used to solve the recurrent issue of resource control in the region.
Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) had declared war on the federal government by destroyed national assets and making government incur huge financial losses running to billions of naira while the government had considered a military option to checkmate them.
But, governor Dickson condemned the development and urged the two parties to come to a roundtable and dialogue for peace and stability.
The governor gave the advice at the weekend during the Ekiti State University’s (EKSU) 21st convocation in Ado-Ekiti where he was garlanded with the institution’s doctorate degree in Public Administration in recognition of his exemplary leadership.
Dickson received the honour alongside the Chancellor of the university and monarch of Aramoko-Ekiti, Oba Abdul Azeez Olu Adegoke Adeyemi, and Ekiti State-born legal luminary, banker and oil and gas magnate, Mr. Gbenga Oyebode, while 18,685 candidates received the institution’s degrees, diplomas and post-graduate diplomas.
Dickson said: “We are all concerned about the developments, all the leaders are concerned about the recent tough surge of insurgency. We are collaborating on the way forward. Those of us who are governors are working hard with traditional and opinion leaders as well as security agencies. We are also collaborating with other private and corporate bodies to ensure that we put it under control.
“The way forward is not war-war; it is jaw-jaw. The way forward is peace and dialogue, it is consensus building and that is quite what some of us are in support of, we are not in support of violence, we are not in support of brigandage, we are not in support of destruction of strategic national assets and killings.”
Expressing his appreciation to the university and Ekiti on the honour, he said: “It is a great privilege to have been invited here and decorated with this beautiful academic robes. So, on behalf of our people of Bayelsa, I bring warm felicitations to the people of Ekiti and my brother governor, Ayo Fayose who is a visitor to this wonderful university and who has been doing a great job in the state in spite of all the distractions.
“Ekiti State University has become a model for other institutions.
“Just two days ago, I sent a team from our state university to come here and interact with your management with a view to finding out how you are managing to pay salaries without receiving the subventions from your governor.
To the graduands he said: “I want to congratulate you as you are entering into another society, a society where your aspiration should not be to look for a white-collar jobs because they simply are not there.
“My expectation for all of you is to be wealth creators and employers of labour.”
Governor Fayose also thanked the school management for performing admirably well.
“I want to appreciate the Governing Council of the university for your efforts and outstanding performance at a time like this when financing government has become a huge challenge in the face of the dwindling federal allocations.
“Your performance for the six months has been commendable,” he said