Hundreds of political appointees on Tuesday, February 11, 2020, barricaded the Bayelsa State Government House demanding their salaries from the outgoing governor, Seriake Dickson.
The aggrieved appointees blocked the convoy of Dickson and delayed the governor’s movement as they insisted that he must pay them their December to January salaries and other severance allowances before leaving the office on February 14, 2020.
The irate appointees, who booed the governor, deployed fallen streetlight poles, dried bamboo trees, and other heavy items to create obstacles on the path of the convoy.
The protesters dismantled all the PDP flags and scattered other items and insignias of the party at the roundabout leading to the government house.
Security operatives at the entrance of the government house had a field day removing the barricades to allow the convoy to maneuver its way out of the area.
The appointees, who kept shouting, “pay us our money”, “you have killed the party we have been managing since”, were prevailed upon by security operatives to create an escape route for the governor.
The aggrieved former employees of Dickson also created barricades on all the roads at Onopa in Yenagoa leading to the Government House.
It was gathered that the actions of the protesters, who also pelted convoys of government dignitaries with stones, forced the governor and other officials to redirect their movements.
Dickson has been at daggers’ drawn with thousands of his appointees, who were sacked by a statement issued by secretary to the state government, Gabriel Okara, immediately after the November 16 governorship election.
While the governor retained the commissioners and major appointees, who were assigned roles at the transition, he asked thousands of others to go home.
But the aggrieved appointees rejected the unceremonious dismissal and insisted that the governor must pay them their salaries.
Dickson in the statement signed by Okara in December disengaged political appointees in his administration, whose positions were not relevant to the transition process.
He said only political appointees, whose positions were “critical” to the transition process would be retained.
He said: “With effectively one month to go to the end of this government, only political appointees whose positions are critical to the transition process will be retained henceforth to manage this process.
“We trust that all political appointees appreciate the enormous sacrifices the government has made with the unprecedented number of political appointments made from 2012 to date.”
