Dickson: I saw one publication that has your name in it. You wrote that thing?
Akene: The rising debt burden in the state?
Dickson: Yes.
Akene: Yes. I wrote it
Dickson: (silence for a while) Aahaaah! Nawaooo. You would write that thing even after the last discussion you came here to have with me. You would write that thing casting aspersions and indicting me.
Akene: (interjects) Sorry I didn’t indict you, I got the information from …
Dickson: (continues) And you were part of the government. You mean that you are not aware of the development we brought together even in the government that you served? So, we did nothing.
Akene: When I served in the government, I was sidelined. So, I left and those things I presented there are figures that I got from the DMO. It was not only your government even the government before your own.
Dickson: (exclaimed) Ooooh!
Akene: It is our state. Some of us worked and we were pushed away. We were empty whereas others carried everything. That was why I left.
Dickson: You think so, that others carried everything
Akene: Not that I think so. I told you severally that as a serving commissioner l sold land to pay my children’s school fees whereas others are building mansions in their homes in everywhere. In the states some have storey buildings of hotels and others.
Dickson: (cuts in mutters some expressions in Ijaw language)
Akene: (continues) Now I am just stating the facts. There was a time I called you but you didn’t even pick my calls
Dickson: So, I must pick your calls, you don’t know what I am involved in (muttered some Ijaw expressions)
Akene: what I am saying is that I didn’t say lies. If anybody is disputing it, let them go and dispute with the DMO. I wrote the figures I got from the DMO.
Dickson: I never took any external loan ooo, Akene
Akene: I quoted publications made by the DMO
Dickson. (interjected) you don’t know how those things were computed
Akene: The dates are there
Dickson: You don’t know. Why are you people the only people writing? Bayelsa at the time I left was the least indebted states in the entire southsouth. Why didn’t you write that one?
Akene: I am not concerned about other states. I only got concerned about my own state
Dickson: I thought you were comparing states. You didn’t see the level of debts of people of other states
Akene: The states that were created the same time with Bayelsa are the ones I compared. Those people get money far far less than what comes into Bayelsa
Dickson: (exclaimed) Aaaaah! Nawaooo! If it were possible eeeeh, I would have just made people like you a governor of that state one term and you Akene will run away
Akene: (laughs) I won’t run awayooo. I am a very responsible person
Dickson: You think you will do better than me?
Akene: whatever I do I don’t compare myself with people. Like ….
Dickson: ( interrupts) You will build more hospitals than I built. You will build more roads than I built, Akene …
Akene: (cuts in) let’s not argue on these. I was a commissioner I suffered. One commissioner hail sway in the state. Some of the commissioners there couldn’t even feed well till today.
Dickson: That’s what you are thinking
Akene: (cuts in) That’s not what I am thinking. I give some people money
Dickson: Don’t worry this one Douye has given Moses Tebowei your friend commissioner for works, so you will see ….
Akene: (interrupts) Do you know that my resignation, the Panadol was taken by Douye and Tebiowei? Douye and Tebowei keep so much malice against me, two of them particularly Tebowei, so I have no business with them. He was my friend but there things that were going there when I left I saw it and I saw that I was just fooling myself. So those people I can’t even near them and I won’t go there.
Dickson: when I read that thing, somebody just sent it to me and I read and I say is that the Akene who came here to talk with me? When I was already even telling Douye, no Akene came to see me. He has to come and see you so that you people can all work together oôhh!
Akene: Douye doesn’t want to see me. He was my very close friend but all of them carry Panadol put for their head
Dickson: You people don’t know and you write things. That your state, you people don’t know when they talk of bankruptcy, they mean that the state has no IGR that can sustain their current expenditure. You people don’t understand and you were in my government and I am not surprised with the way you are talking. I am not surprised that you didn’t really understand the problems we are facing and the efforts we are making. You were just consumed by bitterness and looking at people and feeling people carried everything and you have not carried anything.
Akene: I carried the whole heart. Oga you know that I was … the whole of southern Ijaw I was the only person in that group and I stick out my neck to do everything I could. When the people came blackmailing even you too didn’t call me. These are the things …
Dickson: Let me tell you the way you… Your level of understanding and the way you are showing, working with people, thinking you are superior, you are better than people you are working with and bad-mouting people. I took you as my own person. With this mindset you have of sabi sabi when you don’t even sabi pass other people. You think you are holier than thou. You think that if we look at what you did in that your ministry, somebody cannot write an article about
Akene: (interjects): Let them go ahead, if I have anything …
Dickson (continues): you think you are the best, the cleanest, more patriotic and that is your big problem. But it is not a problem. The opportunity I gave that you served, I am waiting for another governor that will take you in the way I did
Akene:I am not ready to work with any governor again in my life
Dickson: no no no no even at the national level anywhere
Akene: (continues) The frustration I had is enough for me to go back to my private life completely which I have decided to do
Dickson: You will write things like that about a government you were part of. Which government that people have that they don’t leave?
Akene: yes I was part of the first tenure I know
Dickson: People have been dismissed from government. People resign from government
Akene: Yes I resigned because of frustration. I did. Of course and I don’t hide it. As I came in to ABUJA I am on my own own… I don’t even apart from this David Lyon election that because of my personal relationship with him that I went and voted
Dickson: So David Lyon is the one that would have done better than me
Akene: no no I don’t say so. I know that Douye hated me. Since I left he and Tembowei hated me tell them this is what they are and I don’t care so I have to work for somebody and particularly my southern Ijaw that has been abandoned. Our roads nobody talks about and others. I have to support my people. Outside that I don’t even attend any political meetings
Dickson: Which your roads? Who did your road get to Igeibiri or whatever it is. Who did your road?
Akene: Howe many kilometers, 6.5km?
Dickson: So do you know the cost of doing one kilometer, Akene
Akene: why not. I am a consultant in a construction industry. Even here in Abuja and I do …
Dickson: Why didn’t Alamiyeseigha do that road . Why didn’t Jonathan do that road to where I am. Why didn’t Sylva do that road to where I am (Akene laughs). You just condemn people. You just condemn you don’t see anything good about what anybody does.
Akene: I am not like that I just said statement of facts, that’s my problem whether good or bad
Dickson: The road you said is just six point something kilometers
Akene: of course yes
Dickson: Do you know the cost of six point something kilometers in that our terrain?
Akene: Why won’t I know (laughs) Na me dey do the geotechnical analysis for some contractors which you do know; geotechnical analysis, geospatial analysis I do for them and they use it to come but the thing is that nobody to do quality control for them so they do anything. Otherwise in that Niger Delta I tell people if you are constructing a road no asphalt thickness should be less than nine inches for the rad to stand the test of time. I have been doing it for people (Dickson exclaims) my reports are there with some of these big companies
Dickson: Anyway, I knew what you were doing and the kind of … Up till now, you have not woken up from your … Your mindset is negative and you are wrong. You don’t know or maybe later but you are even not a young person.
Akene: I am not a young person. I will be sixty any moment from now and that is why I don’t even want to involve myself with people but this is my state. The state should grow.
Dickson: and you don’t know that you have to support a state to grow. You think it is by negativity that you support a state to grow?
Akene: Not negativity. If I am supporting somebody and you don’t give me the opportunity to do what I represent for persona and technical… We are there people go bring people from outside who don’t know anything. You know how many people I walked out of my office when they come with rubbish and I was telling you some of these things
Dickson: don’t worry. I am not in government now. I don’t have access to record and so on and so forth. But you said that Sylva borrowed only N50bn and that was the indebtedness of the state, Akene
Akene: the records that I saw that is what am saying. I am not there to who borrowed what but the records I saw that are available to anybody to access, that’s what I am saying and I put the dates as I got from DMO. Anything outside DMO I don’t talk that’s why I was even able to put the dates they published these things. They published these things in their websites. Anybody can go there and get them. So if anything is on the contrary it is DMO that we will blame
Dickson: Aaaaah! nawaooo! States like Lagos them that are getting the IGR of N50bn, that are owing almost a trillion nobody is even talking
Akene: Lagos owes more than everyone. Rivers owes more than but ….
Dickson: (cuts in) The only debts I borrowed is for the airportoooo
Akene: (interjects) the projects in these states cannot be compared to us
Dickson: So the airport is not important at all
Akene: I didn’t say the airport is not important. But the projects they have in those states. Bayelsa has only Yenagoa, all these states we are talking about have a lot of major cities that consume projects and they are going on. Rivers state is doing four flyovers at the same time. If I tell you the cost of a multiple flyover like the Etegwe roundabout is supposed to be a multiple flyover and not a straight flyover that is required and I can tell you the real cost of things. I am a consultant. In this Abuja I consult for some agencies and some companies.
Dickson: You are comparing your village, your forest capital, a virgin place that they went to put a state and a capital with the terrain we have …
Akene: (interjects) that is why we are supposed to be a model
Dickson : (continues) You are comparing it with Rivers State. Port Harcourt that has been under development for over 200 years.
Akene: I compared it with the states that were created the same time with us
Dickson: no no no you are talking with me and you are saying Rivers State is constructing four flyovers at the same time
Akene: of course and Rivers State …
Dickson: Do you know up till now the IGR of Rivers State is about 10 to 15 billion every month
Akene: Yes I know even more (Dickson interjects and speaks in Ijaw) I am saying the truth.
Dickson: Look at Lagos, Lagos that has been under development since eighteen something. You now look at your own state created nineteen eighty something …
Akene: When Rivers State celebrated Silver Jubilee, 25 years of creation, I know what was there in Rivers State. A lot of things were there
Dickson: But what you don’t understand is that Port Harcourt has been under development for over 200 years eeeeh. Not the 25 years you saw ( Akene laughs) what you don’t know is that it was the British … Who called it Port Harcour? It is the colonial government that established that sea port
Akene: I know that history
Dickson: you don’t understand. Do you know the time. You don’t know
Akene: Do you know that I read a lot of history and other things
Dickson: Nooooo. Most of you thinking Port harcourt started from Diette Spiff that is what you think. Port Harcourt is a colonial city. lagos is a colonial city. Eighteen something is when those people started Lagos. Port harcourt they created that thing. Built a port. They have two airports, seaports. Oil companies there. Everybody and who is who in Nigeria have investments there in Port Harcour. You people don’t know what you are doing to your stateooo. You think it is governor dickson you are running down because one commissioner got everything and you did not get anything.
Akene: I will repeatedly tell you that I only present a statement of facts. We were not working as a team but I suffered the bruises for your election for the first tenure I suffered the bruises. Southern Ijaw people ganged up against me so many people all these people that became your friends were the people who wanted to kill me… I suffered and I left empty
Dickson: you suffered
Akene: yes I suffered. I told you severally that I sold properties as a serving commissioner to pay my children’s school fees. I did and walked away. But that is not the issue.
Dickson: No problem. God will bless you Akene
Akene: God will bless all of us. He will bless everybody. Not only me.
Dickson: Aaaaah aaaaahh Dishing out figures that are not related to anything and you publish it. Sylva’s debt alone we spent over a hundred billion paying that money
Akene: Well it is not what they published. I presented what is available there
Dickson: so it is not what they published. So, if Sylva borrowed N50billion for almost ten years, do you know the cost of that borrowing.
Akene: I don’t say Sylva borrowed, l say as at that time the burden was about Fifty billion about fifty billion. It now rose up to ninety one, rose up to one hundred and three, rose up to one hundred and twenty seven and now it rose up to one hundred and fifty. That’s local debts.
Dickson: those things they are talking about are not money you borrow. They will add salaries, they will add gratuities that is what is there Akene
Akene: But they said debt burden. That is what they said
Dickson: that is what it means. They are financial people. They will say gratuity is twenty billion, the ones that had not been paid before I came up until date they will put it as a liability to the state
Akene: okay
Dickson: those are the things. It is not cashooo
Akene: (laughs) any way ….
Dickson: So you don’t even ask people, you will just go and cast even if you left empty, the facts still remain that you are supposed to be my brother
Akene: of course I am. It is just that you people don’t take me as your brother.
Dickson: you are supposed to be my brother, Akene. (Speaks Ijaw)
Akene: I am your brother
Dickson: you are supposed to be a professor
Akene: I am not a professor. I am not in academic. If I was in academic I would have been a professor long ago because I am a very serious academic person. Till today, I make research for people (Dickson speaks Ijaw) no wahala
Dickson: And you think that the state will develop with this type of mindset. So, why don’t you buy form and contest to be governor?
Akene: no. I don’t have money. Who wants to give me money. I don’t go and borrow money to contest election and I don’t sell properties to contest election. I don’t.
Dickson: Me that never borrowed. I left Bayelsa as the least indebted state in the entire south south. You are not interest in that one, you didn’t check the DMO figure on that, you didn’t check Rivers state own, you didn’t check Delta state own you didn’t check all these ones
Akene: I see everything but I don’t just want to bother myself with other people. It is just Bayelsa because i know that Rivers State indebtedness is far higher than Bayelsa even almost double. I know that but what I am talking about is my state. I don’t need to go and bother myself about other states where I don’t belong. I only know my state.
Dickson: I never borrowed any foreign loanooo (Akene laughs)
Akene: That is what they wrote there. Maybe if I had pasted what they published as it is in their sheet it would have been better. But in that case all the states figures are there I don’t want to have problems with states that I don’t belong to. If I begin to remove anything there they will say it is mutilation. So the best way is to quote it and say I collected it from these people. That is all. No problem
.Dickson: you don’t know the cost of constructing even one classroom in that your state, hospitals in that your state, your not seeing everything …
Akene: Oga I give you all the respect you deserve from me. You have been my friend. It is you that don’t take me as friend. Do you know that when I was there even small small projects you gave all your appointees, I was the only one that didn’t get anything. Some people ask me even the headmaster quarters in my village I met Salo. Salo say see red biro, na governor dey decide who be the contractor. Till today that my headmaster quarters in my community stopped at lintel level. No roofing. Nothing. A government I participated from beginning till … Let me tell you this story when we were going for your election, that first tenure, the delegate election, it was these same people who blackmail me went there and condition the people that they are going to get like thirty to forty thousand naira. Meanwhile we budgeted one hundred and fifty for each person. I break the thing and collected the money from DG and give everybody.and that was the beginning of ooh una no no dis man. They wanted to cheat the people of one hundred and twenty thousand per person after giving them thirst thousand and that is why the southern Ijaw people ganged up against me, raised a lot of people like Ogbeh, people like Ziriki them. I am mentioning names to you. They started entering you. The boy I brought to you all of them ganged up with your brother Lawrence … I say okay if that is the case make I respect myself. I am a professional and I have been consulting for people. The only unfortunate thing is that some of these oil consultancy I was doing I lost all of them as a result of my being a commissioner and for me to track them back until today most of them I couldn’t get them back
Dickson: since I didn’t do anything good in that state, why didn’t you write about the reforms, the identification reform in Yenagoa city we started and the need to continue with that if you are interested in the development of your state. Why didn’t you write about the automated CofO system we brought considering that you brought the contractor.
Akene: if I tell you about that thing I am a very high profile geomatics professional. Lawrence Erwurakpor and Odubo ganged up against me and what they were doing there was not what we brought. Not what we brought.
Dickson: Lawrence has no hand in that thing, Akene
Akene: na him dey control everybody. Odubo was reporting to him. When he wrote petition against me to you e no copy Lawrence. What relationship does Lawrence have to do with my ministry that he will write a petition against me to you and copy Lawrence Ewrujakpor as commissioner for works
Dickson: I am talking of the beginning of that project. You and this man , capital city that time, you people were working on it and I said you should oversee it and you selected the person
Akene: Yes. I did
Dickson: so you did a terrible job there
Akene: not terrible job. Those people are one of the most highly rated Israeli company in ICT
Dickson: so at least you did one good thing under me. Akene people don’t treat their fellow human beings and brothers like thisooo. You think you are writing something. Anything you are writing now is a record ooo.
Akene: of course
Dickson: you can’t erase it. Children unborn will always come and if they have access to the internet they will read it. The way you people are going about attacking your government and people you are working even if people disagree and fight, they later work together. But the way you people are going with so much bitterness as if somebody took your wife.
Akene: I am not doing anything with bitterness. I am just trying to bring out the fact. I still give you respect as a friend. The other people I told you the other day my own I no dey hide am like our bosom friend before
Dickson: so if everybody no dey hide am, you mean people don’t know how to write things about you
Akene: I don’t say they don’t know. They should go ahead and write whatever they know about me. After all some of those boys, social media boys in government house they went to ransack that place fraternising with these people to see what I have done to attack me …
Dickson: the way you are if a people put you in authority over a state of people you will just destroy everybody and everything because you think you know everything and you are clean and everybody … Small small minds, small, small annoyance you will just be creating problems like that
Akene: I have been in charge of offices severally
Dickson: I thought you are more than like thisooo. Okay. No problem, I will ask people who have data to reply you and educate you and you will read it
Akene: No problem. Let them go ahead
Dickson: if you write indebtedness and liabilities of a state you don’t know that it is all these gratuity things that they will put. No state can pay gratuity. Even the Rivers State that is a shinning example of you Bayelsa people. Bayelsa people you don’t know what that state is doing to us and everything they are doing against us. To you people four flyover is something to you now. At your level, Ooooh! If it were another person. How many times have people written? I don’t call anybody and I don’t speak with anybody. If I tell you I was not, I was touched and I was ashamed at what you wrote. I was touched and I am ashamed …and the bile that I saw and the misconception that you areputting forward as knowledge.
Akene: No there is nothing like misconception. I say I bring out the statement of facts.
Dickson: are you not hearing that I say when you talk of liability, they will add your contractors that you have not paid, that all those are the liabilities they are talking about. You don’t know? You think it is the loan that something has gone to take?
Dickson: that road you saw that you say is small and it is not even important, meanwhile all of you are using it and I thank God for it.
Akene: But myself, I am not even using it
Dickson: so people don’t drive to Ayama eeeh?
Akene: no they drive to Ayama. But no all of us are using it. I don’t follow that side to my village.
Dickson:Okay at least some people are following it
Akene: I am telling you that even the headmaster’s quarters in my village you didn’t allow them to do it for me
Dickson: did i even know. I don’t even know.
Akene: Salo showed me the red biro.
Dickson: I am telling you that I didn’t even know
Akene: I met you if you have forgotten.
Dickson: and what did I say?
Akene: you told me it is not me that will dictate what you should do for me. That is the answer that you gave me that day. So that day I stopped.
Dickson: maybe depending on the way you presented it. You know you are sabi sabi person. Maybe you joined campaign and Turner them were there propping you people up.
