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BAYELSA State Governor, Seriake Dickson, yesterday, said he
inherited N4,451 from his predecessor, Timipre Sylva, in February 2012
and gave a graphic account of how his administration grew the paltry sum to
over N16 billion.
The Governor, who spoke before proceeding on a two-week break,
said the N50 billion Bond his embattled predecessor secured was also posing a
challenge to his administration, lamenting that the figure would hit N104
billion in 2017.
Dickson made this disclosure while presenting his administration’s
financial scorecard for December 2012, yesterday in Abuja. He said his state’s
Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) would hit the N2 billion monthly mark by the
end of the year, up from about N300 million when he assumed office. Dickson,
who was represented by his Commissioner for Finance, Duate Iyabi, said 2013 has
been dedicated to consolidating the achievements of the preceding year.
I didn’t handover to Dickson – Sylva
Countering Dickson’s claim yesterday, Sylva said the governor was
not in a position to know how much he left in the state’s coffers because
Dickson did not take over from him.
Sylva’s Spokesman, Dofie Ola said Dickson could not have inherited
anything from the former governor because Sylva did not hand over to him.
He said after the Supreme Court judgment, Sylva handed over to the
former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr. Nestor Binabo. “We did not
hand over to Dickson, there was an acting governor who took over from us and so
the question should go to him (Binabo),” Ola said yesterday.
The former governor is currently facing corruption charges with
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, which last week sealed 48
choice property in Abuja allegedly belonging to him, although Sylva has
insisted that he did not have more than three property in Abuja.
We will complete on-going projects – Dickson
However, despite funds constraints, Dickson assured that
ongoing projects would be completed.
From the state’s savings, disclosed Iyabi, N1.5 billion was drawn
to assist persons displaced by the recent flooding disaster. The flooding
notwithstanding, he said Bayelsa was able to implement 85 per cent of capital
expenditure for 2012.
Sylva’s N50bn bond
The governor decried the N50 billion Bond obtained by former
Governor Timipre Sylva, and another N16 billion bank loan, he said were abused.
IGR consultants, said a Commissioner, has been appointed to
shore up the monthly IGR from the N518 realised in November 2012 to about N2
billion from the end of the year.
He described as unacceptable a situation where 97 per cent of the
state’s revenue is from federal allocation and promised to continue to give
priority attention to education, healthcare, farming and tourism, assuring that
Bayelsa was set to become one of the most developed states in Nigeria.
Proceeds on two-week break
The governor who is to proceed on a two-week break, called on
Bayelsans to remain steadfast in their support for the government’s programmes
and policies, stressing that his absence would not affect government activities
in the state.
The two weeks break is part of Dickson’s 2012 annual vacation,
which he did not observe because of pressing state assignments,
Iworiso-Markson, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, said in a statement
Governor Dickson is, however, expected to take time off of his
break to attend the closing formalities and wreath laying ceremony of the 2013
Armed Forces Remembrance day on January 15 in Yenagoa.
The statement recalled the Governor’s busy schedule during the flood
disaster, the worst in the history of the state, the sad event of the
helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Governor Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna
State and General Owoye Azazi and the funeral programmes as well as the normal
day-to-day running of government
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