N92B 13% Derivation Refunds: Gov. Diri Has No Respect For Public Funds

The Governor of Bayelsa State through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah claimed that: “the focus of his administration is to open up the Riverine Communities by linking Rural Communities with good roads.”

This assertion was made in a Yenagoa-based radio station monitored by Bayelsa Reporters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The Chief Press Secretary tried in futility to defend the Governor to exonerate him from the derivation arrears of N313 billion naira due to Bayelsa State.

The Presidency has urged the people to hold the Niger Delta State Governors accountable because, the Federal Government has paid N625 billion naira out of a total of N950 billion naira as backlog payment of 13 percent derivation due to the Oil-producing Niger Delta States from 1999 to 2012.

Daniel Alabrah’s sole aim of buying air time on radio was to convince the people of Bayelsa State that the N104 billion naira derivation arrears received by Governor Douye Diri has been spent on the same projects the Governor had earlier claimed he was taking loans to execute.

The Chief Press Secretary shamelessly said that the government has spent a whopping sum of N34.4 billion naira on the Sagbama-Ekeremor road project. For those who know, the Sagbama-Ekeremor road was constructed by Former Governor Henry Seriake Dickson.

Dickson in his reign as Governor, made payment to the construction company (Setraco construction company) in advance for constructing the seven bridges.

Owing to the floor regimes in the state, what was left of the road was the fixing of some culverts and asphalting. The culverts has been tagged as bridges by the Governor Douye Diri in bid to deceive the populace, due to mismanagement of public funds and embezzlement of tax payers monies in the past years.

It is really depressing that whereas other states that received the 13 percent derivation arrears from the federation account have deployed the money to develop their respective States, while Governor Douye Diri is busy ruling the State by churning out propaganda to cover his corrupt activities, ineptitude and dismal performance.

Since 2020, Faac allocations to the State have been generous. On the average, Bayelsa State receives N20 billion naira a month. While there is nothing to show for this humongous allocations to the State.

Governor Douye Diri has engaged in a borrowing spree for the past 33 months. Governor Douye Diri has obtained bank loans of over N100 billion naira. His excuse was to obtain bank loans to complete inherited ongoing road projects.

All the projects Governor Douye Diri has asked his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah to lie about in bid to deceive the populace are not new projects. The always bragged about Igbogene-Ait was initiated by the Restoration Government.

Sadly, in February 2022, the self-styled prosperity administration commissioned only one-lane constructed road project to Okarki junction. The Yenagoa-Oporoma road project was awarded nine years ago. Therefore, previous administrations from have worked on it to a large extent before the current administration.

To claim that the Igbogene-AIT Road project is expected to gulp N54.56 billion naira is broad daylight robbery. Frankly speaking, most of the empowerment programmes purportedly mounted by the “Prosperity Administration” are actually programmes fully-funded by the United Nations through the office of Sustainable Development Goals, (SDGs), Ministry of Women and Youths facilitated by UNESCO and UNICEF.

The corruption index is so high that Bayelsa State rank second among the 36 States of the Federation. We are talking about a government that inherited less than N90 billion naira debt, now owing about N190 billion naira in 33 months.

A renowned non-governmental organization BudgiT.com ranked Bayelsa State lowest in terms of transparency, accountability and budget performance. The situation has worsened by the day.

More than 39 percent of the State’s internal generated revenue (IGR), is diverted into private individuals pockets, while the due process unit stinks with payroll fraud; the Ministry of Finance is enmeshed in Sundry cases of financial malfeasance. Over-inflation of contract values has loomed largely as a trademark of the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure.

Three Youth leaders who were interviewed on the developmental strides of the State carpeted the Douye Diri’s administration for the preponderant increase in the recurrent component of budgets, adding that the huge allocations accruing to the State has not impacted positively on any aspect of development.

They disclosed that they had stanted to sensitize the youths of Bayelsa State for a massive protest, reiterating that Douye Diri was indeed not prepared for governance, considering his poor performance, irrespective of the fact that the 2023 general elections is around the corner.

Bayelsans have agreed that they would never give the Supreme Court Governor a second tenure come November, 2023. This appears to be the verdict of majority of the electorates in the State.

Source: Bayelsa Reporters