Former Bayelsa State governor, Senator Seriake Dickson has declared that it is not easy to serve with honesty in the Nigeria public service.
Dickson, now the Senator
representing Bayelsa West on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, spoke while receiving the Transparency in Leadership Award conferred on him by the Centre for Credible Leadership and Citizens Awareness at the National Assembly, Abuja.
The lawmaker, who served for about 20 years in public service at the state and federal levels, said he navigated the unfavourable public service climate in Nigeria with his personal creed of service to God and humanity.
“It is not easy in this country to serve with honesty within the public realm. In a society where everyone is often painted with the same brush. It is a tough environment to serve in a society filled with propaganda, blackmail, and misrepresentation,” he said.
He, however, said that despite the polluted public space in Nigeria, he held his head and shoulder high by standing by the masses at all times which made him to serve man and serving God with honesty, transparency and integrity .
“But despite all that, I can say from my own experience that there are honest Nigerian public officers. There are hardworking and patriotic Nigerians. They may be few, but they exist,” Dickson added.
He, therefore, urged the civil society group to look at the direction of honest and dedicated Nigerians across spheres of life for similar deserving award.
“I urge you to recognize and appreciate such people. They are present in all walks of life. If you look closely, even in institutions that are often criticized, including the judiciary, you will find honest, hardworking judges, magistrates, and justices.
“The same applies to the police, which is heavily criticized. By the way, I was once a policeman myself. That is why I was firm on law and order as a governor. I worked to restore sanity in my state, flushed out criminals, and addressed not only crime itself but also the root causes of crime and criminality,” he stressed.
Recall that Dickson had after serving as Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General in Bayelsa State under Governor Goodluck Jonathan between 2006 and 2007 got elected into the House of Representatives to represent Sagbama – Ekeremor Federal Constituency from 2007 to 2012 when he emerged as governor of the state and served for eight years before joining the Senate in 2020 to represent Bayelsa West.