Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has fulfilled his promise to give automatic employments to 336 persons of Ijaw descent.

The breakdown of the beneficiaries shows that 102 PhD holders, 54 master’ degree holders; 60 medical doctors and 119 First Class graduates drawn from Bayelsa State and other Ijaw speaking communities across the country were employed by the state government.

The 102 PhD holders were employed as lecturers into the state-owned tertiary institutions.

The governor at a brief ceremony in Yenagoa said his administration was working hard to lay a solid foundation for a flourishing knowledge-based economy of the future for the state.

He said, “It takes a number of years for this kind of investment to mature. We are building schools and capacities and we want a situation whereby after 20 years or so we want to see top qualified Bayelsa professors in every field.

“We are going to create a fund to take care of publications for all those who have PhD to enable them produce more PhD holders.

The Secretary to the State Government and Chairman of the Special Employment Committee, Kemela Okara, expressed confidence that the 336 newly employed workers would add value and increase productivity in the state workforce.

Also, the Commissioner for Education, Mr Jonathan Obuebite, hailed Dickson for keeping his promise to turn around the state’s education sector.