Governor Dickson receiving his award

Bayelsa State Governor, Honourable Henry Seriake Dickson, has been conferred with the prestigious Best Security and Safety Conscious State Governor/Premier Award in West and Central Africa by Security Watch Africa.

The award was presented on February 8 during the 14th Awards and Conference of Security Watch Africa in Accra, the capital of Ghana.

A press release by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Francis Ottah Agbo, noted that the award was in recognition of the governor’s unparalleled and huge investments in security, which had positioned Bayelsa as one of the safest states in the country.

Making a presentation on behalf of the governor at the ceremony, the member representing Sagbama Constituency II and Chairman, House Committee on Security in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Hon. Bernard Kenebai, attributed the successes achieved in security in the state to strategic thinking, people mobilisation and intelligent team selection, which brought professionals together in a favourable working environment.

Kenebai, who noted that Governor Dickson had successfully separated politics from security, said the government had put in place the right policies, regulations and security assets, which made the job easier for the security personnel to operate in every part of the state.

Receiving the award on behalf of the governor, the security consultant to the Operation Doo-Akpo and Chief Executive of Spears and Shield Consults, Major Lancelot Anyanya (rtd), said the award was an acknowledgement of the governor’s excellent service to his people.

Anyanya, who himself was a recipient of the Most Innovative Security and Safety Professional in Nigeria in this year’s awards, said the personal policy of the Bayelsa chief executive was a necessary foundation for any form of development.

The Bayelsa State swift-response security outfit, the Operation Doo-Akpo (ODA), was also conferred with the Best Anti-Crime Security Squad Award in West and Central Africa at the ceremony.

The Doo-Akpo Commander of Operation, ACP Asufi Idowu, personally received the award.

The security outfit, which was established by the Dickson administration in 2012 in response to the security challenges it met on assumption of office, had won the Best Anti-Crime Security Squad award back to back in 2013 and 2014 when the awards were held in Johannesburg and Dubai respectively.