It’s tough to serve with honesty in Nigeria – Senator Dickson

2026-02-23 - 18:27

By Henry Umoru ABUJA- WITH the last twenty years in public service at the State and as a lawmaker, Senator Seriake Dickson, PDP, Bayelsa West has said that it is tough to serve with honesty in Nigeria. Speaking on Monday on his practical experience in governance within the last twenty years while responding to Transparency in Leadership Award conferred on him by Centre for Credible Leadership and Citizens Awareness at the National Assembly, Dickson explained that he navigated the unfavourable public service climate in Nigeria with his personal creed of service to man and serving God. Prior to the present position as a ranking Senator, 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 Bayelsa State and served for eight years before joining the Senate in 2020 to represent Bayelsa West Dickson said, ” 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.” According to him, 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 . Dickson said: “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” The Senator who urged the Civil Society Group , to look at the direction of honest and dedicated Nigerians across spheres of life for similar deserving award, said, ” 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.”