Atala Marginal Field: Allegations against Dickson false, laughable – Bayelsa West Youth Congress

A youth group in Bayelsa state, Bayelsa West Youth Congress, has described as false and laughable, allegation that the the former Governor of the state, Sen Henry Seriake Dickson, wants to revoke the license of the Atala Marginal Fields (OML 46).

In a statement jointly signed by Ebide Brown and Moses Hitler, the group’s Chairman and Spokesperson respectively, it said Sen Henry Seriake Dickson who is the current senator representing Bayelsa West constituency, is neither the serving governor nor the minister of petroleum who have the power to revoke licenses. They said the allegations are particularly laughable and clearly shows that they are only sponsored in a futile attempt to discredit the huge developmental projects which the senator executed in the state while he was Governor.

According to the group, the general public should disregard the allegations as they are purely false.

The statement reads thus:

“Our attention has been drawn to the latest, mindless vituperations and propaganda continually waged by a man who we know is used by some people in his local government and senatorial district, currently and serving, to propagate outright falsehoods and incite people of Bayelsa against Former Governor Dickson as a result of his intimidating achievements in office and his profile in Bayelsa and beyond – achievements that continue to haunt them for their own failures.

This mindless propaganda began as a prelude to the 2019 Gubernatorial elections. While one can excuse the behavior then as campaign gimmicks, it is surprising that long after the elections, this propaganda has continued.

The latest propaganda relates to the Atala Marginal Fields (OML 46) which was acquired by the Bayelsa State Government, perfected by the administration of then-Governor Goodluck Jonathan and spearheaded by Dickson when he was the Attorney general.

Concerning the ownership of Atala Marginal Fields, the statement by the so-called group, should be completely disregarded and discarded as the statement is completely false and does not make any sense at all.

The Former Governor of Bayelsa and now Senator Henry Seriake Dickson is not a known businessman and does not know of any oil company or have any interest in such company. As a senator from Bayelsa and a champion of the Ijaw struggle, he is naturally opposed to the revocation of that license.

Senator Henry Seriake Dickson is currently a Senator representing Bayelsa West at the Senate. He is not a Governor, he is not the petroleum minister, he is not the head of DPR or even a member of any petroleum committee in the Senate. How can he have the power to take over the Atala Marginal Field?

The persons who are responsible and accountable for the current status of the oil fields are the Minister, Timipre Sylva who has revoked the license through DPR, and the current Governor of Bayelsa state, Senator Douye Diri who is to protect the state’s interest and not Senator Dickson.

This outright blackmail and propaganda against Senator Dickson is pointless and should stop now.

The achievements of former Governor Dickson which will continue to stand the test of time are there in Bayelsa in all sectors for all to see and use. Several roads and several bridges, schools, hospitals, and tertiary institutions, the state secretariates, the best Governor’s office in the country, the golf course, the Dappa Biriye conference center, the ecumenical Centre, the Oxbow Lake Pavilion, and many other legacy projects, especially the Bayelsa International airport.

This continuous spreading of falsehood is because they are scared of their failures, they are scared of the people’s appreciation of Senator Dickson’s efforts as Governor.

This mindless propaganda should be disregarded and discarded. Our silence and patience have been taken for granted for too long.”

Source:- Vanguard