Interview

Dickson has nothing to show for 13 per cent derivation, allocations to Bayelsa —Kpodoh

The de facto chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State and former Special Adviser to former Governor Timipre Sylva, Chief Perekeme Kpodoh and the state’s Commissioner for Information, Mr Jonathan Obuebite, speak with AUSTIN EBIPADE on governance in the state under Governor Seriake Dickson’s watch.

THE Bayelsa State governor, Honourable Seriake Dickson has always said that his Restoration

Chief Perekeme Kpodoh

Government is transparent and prudent in managing the state’s resources. What is your view on this claim?

I have served three governors in this state and I know when government is transparent or not. What the governor said is different from the practical situation on the ground. Today, I still see Bayelsa as a slum, because there is no development. The government does not know what transparency means.

But the governor told Bayelsans that he has deployed the resources he got to massive infrastructural development and you are still saying that the state is a slum.

Frankly, I must say the resources that have accrued to the state and what he calls the development of the state is not commensurate. If I may ask, where is the infrastructural development? The government’s definition of development is myopic and wrong. For instance, look at the state capital, Yenagoa; it still looks like a slum. There is no critical, tailored development plan and because there is no conducive environment, foreign investors have not come to the state. I dare to say that the

drivers of the present administration are novices, because they still do not know what development is; and whoever occupies the state seat of government is less-concerned about development.

The 13 per cent derivation accruing to the state cannot be accounted for by the government. We are still collating to come out with figures on how much has been collected from the first tenure and the second term, because we want to be factual.

The 13 per cent derivation came on the auspices of the agitation for development by the boys at the Kaiama Declaration and it was granted by the Federal Government. Some states do not have oil, and

their monthly allocation is as low as N3.5 billion and without 13 per cent derivation, yet the level of development is appreciable. But Bayelsa gets N30 billion with nothing to show and they blame it on the difficult terrain.

Seriously, the president should narrow down the anti-corruption fight to the states and governors and not end it at the federal level. Therefore, I am calling on the Federal Government to investigate the governor and the use of the 13 per cent derivation. The situation in Bayelsa is worse; government would collect allocation and the 13 per cent and sit on it while the people are suffering and are unable to feed. Some use their children as collateral in the market in exchange for foodstuffs.

The civil service is the only industry in the state and for the governor to delay in the payment of workers’ salary amounts to insensitivity and subjecting them to untold hardship.

Despite your position, infrastructural projects are ongoing in the state, such as the construction of airport and roads. What do you have to say on these?

Our problem with government is that there is no continuity; the present government chose to build new projects to amass wealth for self-aggrandisement. What am I saying? Diepreye Alamieyeseigha wanted to build an airport; Sylva started the cargo airport, now Governor Dickson has started another airport. We must get it clear; in advanced countries, there is continuity and a project could last for 50 years. I dare to say that Bayelsa does not belong to the governor; the money belongs to the people and the project belongs to the people of the state. So, there must be continuity. The 500-bed hospital with equipment worth billions of Naira that was on the verge of being commissioned was abandoned by this government; it is wrong for a governor to abandon a project because it wasn’t started by his government.

The governor said when he came on board, he met an insecure state and that he has spent so much on security to keep the state safe. Do you agree that Bayelsa is safe?

Well, to an extent, the state is safe, because some structures were put in place by the previous government which I served as the special adviser on security matters. I dare to say that then, the state was calm and quiet. Kidnapping was reduced, cult killings became minimised but now, robbery is on the high scale. Every street is being robbed every night. In broad daylight, bad boys would rob traders with guns, snatch handsets and people are no longer able to sleep with both eyes closed. I dare to say there is still no security in the state; so I am advising the governor to do more to put a stop to all vices, including robbery.

Honourable Jonathan Obuebite

GOVERNOR Seriake Dickson said his government has invested in security, but opposition politicians believe that the state is still not safe, citing robbery incidents in the state. What is your reaction?

Just a few days ago, the AIG Zone 5, Muhammad Adamu, who visited the state, said Bayelsa is the safest state in Nigeria with the lowest rate of crime and criminality. This is a very sensitive word that underscores the investment the government has put into security. Few days ago, not minding the scarce resources, the governor approved the purchase of 70 patrol jeeps to beef up security in the state; 50 of these are to be given to the state security outfit codenamed Operation Doo Akpo, while the others would be given to the state police command.

Governor Dickson has been described as the most security-conscious governor; the government has the best security command room named after the late National Security Adviser, Andrew Owoeye Azazi, and he has won several awards on security in South Africa and the United Kingdom. Bayelsa State prides itself as the safest in the country and the feat was attained through a collaborative effort of government and security agencies in the state.

The state was also referred to as a slum by an APC chieftain, who said there has been no tangible development in the state?

Bayelsa is not a slum; check states created alongside our state, none of them can match us in terms of development. As it stands, we are competing with our sister state (Rivers State). If the state was referred to as a slum 20 years ago, it’s understandable but down the lane, all that has changed; successive governments have contributed their quota. But the architect of modern Bayelsa is our Restoration Governor, Rt. Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson.

To mention a few, our airport is 85 per cent completed. In the area of education; we have

constructed model boarding schools. We have the Ijaw national academy. Government has invested N40bn in education.

In the area of road constructions, government has dualised the road from Road Safety to the hospital; the Opolo road is also dualised. The newly-constructed flyover, which is the first of its kind in the history of the state, is there. This government has also constructed the Igbogene bypass, Isaac Boro Road and Oxbow Lake Road leading to the Central Business District area, where we have the investment plaza. So, if anyone says there is no development, it should be clear that such person is only playing politics with the truth. The list of development projects carried out by the government is endless. It includes the newly-completed Governor’s Lodge adjudged the best in the country by other visiting governors. We have also constructed the Toru-Ebeni Bridge and the sand filling of Ekeremor, while the Oporoma road is 85 per cent completed.

But the Dickson government was accused of abandoning key projects of the past administration, pa4rticularly the 500-bed and the relocation of the airport project from East/West Road to Amassoma Road?

No, that is not true that the government abandoned the 500-bed hospital. We are simply remodelling it, because it is a good project that was not properly designed. As I speak, the quarters for resident doctors and theatre have been completed by Governor Dickson. The late Dora Akunyili drug mart is also completed, because she decided to partner with government.

The 500-bed hospital will be completed and thereafter be a medical hub that will be appreciated by Bayelsans and Nigerians as a whole. On the airport; the initial location of the airport on the East/West road was not suitable for the state and that was why government relocated it to Amassoma link road, so that it would open up the state and serve Bayelsans better. The relocation was not mooted to waste funds but for better service delivery to the state and other Nigerians that will use the facility.

The opposition has also accused the government of mismanaging the 13 per cent derivation funds meant for the development of the state, calling for probe?

The 13 per cent derivation is judiciously used to assist government in paying the salaries of the workforce; it is because of the 13 per cent derivation that our allocation sometimes shores up to N1 billion or N1.5 billion per month. I dare to say that we are the real agent of change, because we render stewardship on what comes to the state and how it is expended, during our monthly transparency briefing.

David Olagunju