Group decries Dickson’s breach of protocols with bell-ringing praise singers 

The Bayelsa Development Initiative (BDI) has decried former Governor Seriake Dickson’s penchant of breaching protocols during statewide events with his bell-ringing praise singers.

The group noticed that since he left office, the former governor had formed the habit of attending public engagements late and instead of humbling himself chose to disturb the peace of such gatherings with his hired praise singers.

It said the former governor was always deploying his retinue of sycophants in total disregard to already seated dignitaries including the incumbent Governor, Senator Douye Diri and former President Goodluck Jonathan among others.

The group, in a statement signed by its Coordinator, Obiokpo Martin, said it would have ignored the former governor, who revels in self adulation, but chose to speak out following a similar breach of government established procedure by Dickson and his sycophants at the November 2, Annual Thanksgiving held at the Ecumenical Centre, Igbogene.

Obiokpo said Dickson and his praise singing gang comprising mostly women failed to observe established protocols by displaying total disrespect to the governor, the clergy and the sanctity of the church.

Obiokpo reminded Dickson that he was no longer the governor of the state and should comport himself honourably, wondering why he continued to come late to disrupt proceedings with his praise singers, who ring bells to welcome him to public events years after leaving office.

He said: “This act of showing disrespect to official procedures is unbecoming of Dickson, who as a governor would not have tolerated this becoming a recurrent decimal and the earlier he respects himself in the presence of God the better for him.

“This similar breach at the just-concluded 2022 Thanksgiving is one too many. The former governor, we know, likes indulging in self adulation and unnecessary ego massaging trips, doing it with those praise singers in the presence God is rather repugnant to public conduct and we urge him to desist from it.”

The group further stated that the former governor should borrow a leaf from the sense of humility displayed by former President Jonathan, who chose to conduct himself with decorum despite having the capacity to cause distractions.