A new chief press secretary to the Governor of Bayelsa State, Henry Seriake Dickson, has been appointed.

He is Fidelis Soriwei, who until his new role, was the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media Relations.

He takes over from Francis Ottah-Agbo, who has since resigned from the position, contested and elected a member of the Federal House of Representatives for the Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo, Federal Constituency of Benue State, under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

A statement by the Bayelsa Commissioner for Information, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, said Mr. Soriwei’s appointment, which has been approved by Governor Seriake Dickson, is with immediate effect.

Mr Soriwei, a journalist, joined the Bayelsa government after over two decades of professional practice.

Until he was appointed adviser to Mr Dickson in September 2017, he was a staff of the well-regarded PUNCH newspaper where for about 14 years he covered politics, security, defence and anti-corruption matters.

Mr Soriwei began his journalism as a graduate intern at the The Guardian in the late 1990s before moving on to work at TheNews Magazine and THE PUNCH.

A native of Arogbo in Ondo State, Mr Soriwei attended Ijaw National High School, Arogbo, and the Obafemi Awolowo University where, in 1994, he bagged a second class upper degree in English. He was the best graduating student of his class.

When contacted on his new appointment, Mr Soriwei told PREMIUM TIMES, “I thank my boss, Governor Dickson, for trusting me with this delicate assignment. I thank him also for the good leadership he is providing for Bayelsa and for his exemplary performance so far.

“Being a chief press secretary is a tough job. But mine is easy because I won’t be selling a bad product. My governor is an exceptional leader, and speaking for a man like that won’t be difficult.

“Be that as it may, I pray to God Almighty to give me the wherewithal to deliver on my mandate. A lot of positive things are going on in Bayelsa and it is joyful that I am now better placed to market this amazing state and its wonderful people to the world.”