Senator representing Bayelsa West in the Nigerian National Assembly, Senator Seriake Dickson has been conferred with the Transparency in Leadership Award for his contributions to humanity and society at large.
A coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria, a Non-governmental organisation, under the umbrella of the Centre for Credible Leadership and Citizens Awareness, presented the Award to Senator Dickson at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja.
The group described Senator Dickson as a voice for the voiceless, who has consistently proven that true leadership is defined by transparency and the courage to protect the people’s mandate.
Speaking after receiving the Award, Senator Dickson said he navigated the unfavourable public service climate in Nigeria with his personal creed of service to humanity and serving God.
“It is not easy in this country to serve with honesty within the public realm., ina 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.
Spending about twenty years in public service at the State and federal levels, Senator Dickson says it is tough to serve with honesty in Nigeria.
Recounting his practical experience in governance the Senator said he navigated the unfavourable public service climate in Nigeria with his personal creed of service to man and serving God.
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 serve man and serve 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”
He therefore urged the Civil Society Group, to look at the direction of honest and dedicated Nigerians across spheres of life for a similar deserving award.
“I urge you to recognise and appreciate such people. They are present in all walks of life. If you look closely, even in institutions that are often criticised, 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 served as Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General in Bayelsa State under Governor Goodluck Jonathan between 2006 and 2007.
He later got elected into the House of Representatives to represent Sagbama – Ekeremor Federal Constituency from 2007 to 2012 when he emerged as Governor of Bayelsa State and served for eight years before joining the Senate in 2020 to represent Bayelsa West.