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Following the gesture of President Mahammadu Buhari and his deputy to publicly declare their assets, the Grace Movement Initiative (GMI), a socio-political group in Bayelsa state has called on Governor Henry Seriake Dickson to emulate the gesture by declaring his assets to Bayelsans. The group said in a statement by its secretary, Evangelist Elliot Zamide that the action would  be in tandem with the governor's claim to transparency in the management of government's funds.

Zamide insisted that for Governor Dickson’s mantra of accountability and transparency to be taken seriously, there was need to declare his assets now. The group recalled that prior to his becoming Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon. Dickson’s wealth (asset) profile was not as huge and bloated as it is presently. "We know Dickson before he became governor of Bayelsa State, and he never had this kind of wealth which he is displaying and deploying for his re-election campaigns as is being witnessed lately.

Though political office holders in Nigeria are never expected to get poorer when they are in positions of authority, the accelerated asset profile of the countryman has no doubt been a cause for concern for Bayelsans whose levels of prosperity before Dickson’s emergence getting leaner in contrast to his Excellency and family’s stupefying ascension”

Meanwhile, the Bayelsa Surveillance Group (BSG), has insisted that Governor Dickson committed over N1.5bn of the state government fund for his last Tuesday declaration. The group cried out that the money could have been better utilised by "ploughing it into the completion of some of the abandoned projects of the plan less restoration government, some of which are fast constituting an eyesore and dent on the Bayelsa skyline."

But the Dickson government has denied the allegation. in a reaction on behalf of the government, a group, the Ijaw Young Professionals (IYP) decried the accusation as “cheap and baseless propaganda” against the governor and his administration. It also said the accusers were faceless as the purported surveillance group does not exist but a decoy sponsored by the opposition.

“It’s laughable to make such unfounded claim”, it said. The reaction which was contained in a statement made available to the press in Yenagoa and signed by the spokesman, Barr. Seighfa Tonye-Brown, said the accusation could not have been true knowing Dickson’s stand on public spending over time.

“Governor Dickson is a very principled, strict and morally upright gentleman. He will not spend a dime of government money to fund his declaration. As one of the many pro-Dickson support groups that took part in that declaration, I should inform all such rumour mongers that we spent our own resources to mobilise 2000 of our members to attend the event to express our solidarity with the governor. I know for a fact that similar support groups also contributed money to make their presence felt at the rally."

In a related development, the BSG also condemned the support thrown behind the second tenure bid of Governor Seriake Dickson by the immediate past President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and former Governor, Chief D.S.P Alamieyeseigha during the second tenure declaration of the Governor last Tuesday.

 The group noted that for openly standing before Bayelsans who have been gnashing their teeth to barely survive Dickson’s misrule and endorse him to continue as governor beyond Feb, 14th 2016, Jonathan and Alamieyeseigha  are totally ignorant and lost about the true reality on ground in the state.