Prudence in governance: The Dickson example

THE long awaited All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primaries have finally been lost and won; with former Governor Timipre Sylva securing a landslide victory over his opponents. Expectedly, his major political fire-works against incumbent Governor Henry Seriake Dickson (HSD) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) will likely dwell on the alleged stinginess of the latter.

Lately, the opposition party and its supporters in Bayelsa State have launched a sustained attack on the governor whom they accuse of deliberately refusing to throw money around. The charge is straight forward- Governor Dickson is stingy and selfish.

Prudence (which has been the hallmark of the Governor Dickson administration) does not translate to stinginess. For the avoidance of doubt, stinginess carries the idea of being selfish and ungenerous, with a natural tendency of not wanting to spend money or spending less than the barest minimum required. On the other hand, being prudent or frugal requires spending wisely enough to prioritize necessities rather than frivolities. In public sector economics, this is the right approach to adopt to give the economy a clean health bill, as government’s spending drives taxes, deficits, debts and inflation.

This golden rule in governance is often flouted unabashedly by politicians and rulers who generally crave for more power and influence, which they can only secure by spending monies that they don’t have. Henry VIII of England was Born on 28th June 1491 to Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. King Henry was given a first class education; he became king of England in April 21, 1509 and is credited with the legal unification of England and Wales. On ascension to the throne, Henry inherited a robust economy from his prudent father who left him an estimated one million two hundred and fifty pounds (an incredibly huge sum at the time). England’s vast fortunes however suffered an unprecedented decline on account of a visionless leadership.

King Henry, the second monarch of the Tudor dynasty, was an extravagant spender who diminished his fortunes acquiring ostentatious articles and waging endless continental wars against Francis I of France, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles and other sovereigns. The Monarch who married six times in his life time is also widely known for his role in the separation of the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church, following his disagreement with the Pope. He dissolved the monasteries with the intent of seizing their vast lands, and reformed the parliament. Through the dissolution of the monasteries and the reformation of the parliament, monies previously sent to Rome were retained to expand royal power. Despite the huge incomes at his disposal, Henry VIII continually found himself at the verge of financial ruin.

In a clear departure from the former’s inglorious reign, Philip II of Spain (1527-1598) transformed his country from economic recession into a vibrant economy that was the envy of other European countries. During Philip’s reign, Spain reached the height of her influence and power, having built an empire that included territories on every continent then known to the Europeans.

Governor Dickson has moved Bayelsa to greater heights. Party affiliation notwithstanding, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and the late Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha (both former governors of Bayelsa State) could not have been playing to the gallery when recently they openly admitted that Bayelsa State is far better than they had left it some years ago. Now, the question is: How has Governor Dickson improved the lots of Bayelsans in the last three and half years?

Prior to his election in February 2012, Bayelsa State had come under the siege of sea pirates and cultists who operated with the backing of some unscrupulous politicians; a trend that saw investors leave in their droves. Governor Dickson had on assumption of office moved to secure the state for meaningful development to take place. To this end, he introduced the Bayelsa Integrated Security Strategy (BISS), a formidable policy which sought to re-engineer security by emphasizing intelligence –based policing with significant community participation and large scale use of modern security technology. There’s enough evidence to prove that Bayelsa State is the true destination of change in the socio-economic and political spheres of our national life- even if the current administration has done little to advertize its laudable achievements in the last three years plus.

In recognition of the fact that education and human capital development are at the core of sustainable development, the Governor Dickson administration has has undertaken prompt payment of exam fees for candidates of First School Leaving Certificate and Basic Junior Secondary School Certificate, as well as the payment of fees for Bayelsa candidates of the West African Examination Council [WAEC} and the National Examination Council (NECO). One should also take cognizance of the recruitment of 300 ICT teachers, provision of free education materials to pupils/students in primary and secondary schools and the award of contracts for the renovation of schools.

The laudable achievements of Governor Dickson are in spite of the near empty treasury he inherited from his predecessor, Chief Timipre Sylva. On assumption of office in February 2012, he was shocked to discover that a paltry four million four hundred and fifty-one thousand naira was left in the state’s coffers. Then, the self-styled “Glory of all Lands” had become one of the heavily indebted states; with over one hundred billion naira (#100billion) borrowed by the previous government. It was a precarious financial situation that the current administration was determined to improve from the outset. It opened a strategic savings account and set up a tax revenue review committee which helped to grow Internally Generated Revenues (IGR) from three hundred million naira (#300m) to about fifteen billion naira(#15bn) by January 2013. And today, Bayelsa ranks among one of the few states that have developed the capacity to effectively manage the current cash crunch, occasioned by the recession in the international oil market.

The remarkable revolution has endeared the governor to the hearts of many. Little wonder the former chief of staff Chief Diekevie Ikiogha had on the second anniversary of the current administration admitted that Governor Dickson was “moving Bayelsa State from relative obscurity to the frontlines of national affairs”.

It is clear to Bayelsans that if it takes “stinginess” to do so much, then the governor may well plead guilty. But we should begin to draw the line between stinginess and prudence in public administration.

• Kikile is the Honourable Commissioner for Information, Bayelsa State.