Niger Delta
Bayelsa Wants Budgets To Address Basic Needs
Participants at a one-day town hall meeting in Yenagoa agreed that Bayelsa State Government should address the basic necessities of life which include shelter, education, health, agriculture and electricity.
The meeting which was organised by a civil society organisation called Niger Delta Citizens and Budget Platform (NDCBP) was at the instance of reviewing Bayelsa State budget of N161.2billion for 2011 and the need for the state government to implement rights-based budgets with priority on education and health sectors.
The stakeholders, after an analysis of the state budget for the 2011 fiscal year, were unanimous that capital projects allocations of N6.4billion (2.5 percent) and N3.9billion (1.9 percent) to the education and health sectors from the overall budget were too meagre for the realisation of government’s objectives for the sectors.
The participants regretted that agriculture was not allocated any capital funds even when the state government expressed its interest in diversifying its economy.
They equally observed that contrary to frequent denials that Bayelsa did not operate security vote, the 2011 budget, under ‘Overhead Costs’,provided for ‘General Security’ and ‘Security and Government House Operations’totalling N5.7billion without specific details.
The analysis also showed that general overhead costs gulped a whopping N30.3billion with Government House alone getting N10.6billion, being a sharp rise of nearly 100 percent from N5.6billion allocated in 2010.
Among others, that items listed under ‘General Administration received 28 percent of the 2011 recurrent expenditure and 17 percent of the capital expenditures, which the participants pointed out was at the expense of key sectors of education and health.
The participants noted that while the education sector recorded reduced allocation of N5billion between 2009 and 2011 with share of 4 percent in 2011, the health sector recorded geometrical reduction of not less than N600million each year during the period with 2 percent in 2011.
In his presentation titled, “A Human Rights Perspective to the Analyses of the 2011 Budgets of 5 Niger Delta States”, co-ordinator of NDCBP, Ken Henshaw, said government has constitutional obligations to work towards the fundamental rights of citizens “especially under the directive principles of state policy”.
Henshaw, who decried government officials’ interpretation of directive principles of state policy as “prescriptive”, argued that besides the 1999 constitution, Nigeria had ratified other international conventions such as United Nations Declaration on Human Rights, the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights and the International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which obligated it to ensure rights of citizens to quality education and health care.
“The budget is a fundamental tool with which a government can realise its rights commitment to citizens. These rights and obligation of governments are sometimes enshrined in the constitution as fundamental human rights, but most times as directive principles of state policy”, Henshaw emphasised.
Henshaw stated that Bayelsa had no reason to remain an educationally less developed state with poor access to health care at all levels.
In his remark, country representative of New York-based Revenue Watch Institute (RWI), sponsors of the budget monitoring and evaluation in the Niger Delta states, Dauda Garuba, called for synergy between civil society groups and citizens to make government accountable.
Garuba expressed the hope that the move by Governor Seriake Dickson’s administration to run a transparent government would be sustained while ensuring proper implementation of yearly budgets.
Niger Delta
Diri Appoints New SSG, CoS, Retains CPS
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has approved the appointment of the serving Executive Chairman of the Bayelsa State Board of Internal Revenue(BIRB), Prof. Nimibofa Ayawei as the new Secretary to the State Government (SSG).
The state’s Chief Executive also has appointed his former Acting Chief of Staff, Government House, Dr. Peter Pereotubo Akpe as his new Chief of Staff (CoS) in his second tenure in office.
The Tide also learnt that the Governor has approved the retention of Mr Daniel Alabrah as his Chief Press Secretary (CPS).
A statement from the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah noted that Mr. Irorodamie Komonibo has been appointed as the new Deputy Chief of Staff (DCoS), Government House.
Alabrah in his statement stated that the appointments take immediate effect.
The Tide learnt that until this new appointment, the new SSG, Ayawei, is a Professor of Analytical Chemistry, technocrat, public servant and university lecturer.
He has also held the position of the Executive Chairman of the State’s board of internal revenue since 2016.
A further profile of the new appointees made available to newsmen by Governor Diri’s CPS says that Prof. Ayawei is also a former member of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly.
The statement noted that the new SSG started his working career at the state’s Ministry of Environment before his appointment as member of the State Scholarship Board in 2001.
In 2002, he was appointed Chairman, Bassan-Koluama Rural Development Authority. While in 2003, he was elected to represent Southern Ijaw Constituency four in the state legislature, after which he became General Manager/Chief Executive Officer of the Bayelsa State Housing and Property Development Authority in 2012.
He has also been Commissioner for Housing and Rural Development in 2014.
Ayawei bagged a Bachelor of Education degree in Chemistry in 1995 at the then Rivers State College of Education, Port Harcourt (which was then an affiliate of the University of Ibadan) before obtaining a Master of Science in Analytical Chemistry in 2008 at the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State and later a Doctor of Philosophy in Analytical/Environmental Chemistry at the state-owned Niger Delta University (NDU), Amassoma.
He was the first PhD graduate of the NDU in 2016.
He also took up appointment as lecturer in the university’s Department of Chemical Sciences in 2016 and is currently a Professor of Analytical Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry, Bayelsa State Medical University (BMU), Yenagoa.
On the other hand, the new Chief of Staff(CoS) Government House, Dr. Pereotubo Akpe, who was the immediate past Deputy Chief of Staff and Acting Chief of Staff is a 1991 graduate of the University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt (now Rivers State University) where he obtained a B.Sc. in Technical Education, specialising in Electrical/Electronics.
He also holds a Master degree in Administration and Planning from the same university and a Ph.D. in same discipline from the University of Port Harcourt.
Akpe worked in both the Rivers and Bayelsa States Civil Service for over 20 years and retired as Assistant Director.
He also served as Head of Administration, Office of the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State (2006–2007), Commissioner with the Bayelsa State House of Assembly Service Commission (2008–2011), a two-term member of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly and was Leader of the House between 2011 and 2019.
He equally held other offices as Commissioner and member of the State Executive Council in 2020, Deputy Chief of Staff (2020–2023) and Acting Chief of Staff (2023–February 14, 2024).
Dr Akpe whom many have described as an astute administrator is a fellow of several professional bodies, a 5th Degree Black Belter and Certified Kukiwon Coach in Taekwondo, and is currently the Pastor-in-Charge of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Bayelsa Province one, and a part-time Lecturer with the Redeemed Christian Bible College, University of Ede, Osun State.
Meanwhile, until his new appointment, the new Deputy Chief of Staff, Government House, Mr. Irorodamie Komonibo was the Principal Secretary to the Governor until February 14, 2024.
By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells,
Yenagoa
Niger Delta
C’River, Ebonyi Govts Resolve Boundary Dispute
In a bid to end the persistent border disputes between Cross River and Ebonyi States, the two States have resolved to unite and work for peace on the border corridor of Ndiagu Amagu, Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State and Adadama, in Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State.
The resolution was contained in a five-point communiqué issued after a meeting of officials of the two States on the inter-state boundary, held at Ebonyi State deputy governor’s office, Abakaliki, yesterday.
In a communiqué adopted by officials from both parties and signed by the Deputy Governors of Cross River and Ebonyi States, the meeting resolved to embark on sensitisation of the affected communities to desist from all forms of encroachment while waiting for the delineation of the boundaries by the National Boundary Commission (NBC).
It also added that the two States put in place modalities for joint security teams to patrol the affected areas.
The members agreed that the deputy governors of both States, who are also chairmen of state boundary committee are to reach out to the NBC to expedite action on boundary delineation, so as to restore peace and ensure that no further lives are lost and properties destroyed in these communities.
It also called for the revitalisation of Adadama-Amagu Development Association (ADAMADA), a group that had contributed to peace in the region.
The meeting, presided over by the Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Patricia Obila and attended by the Deputy Governor of Cross River State, Dr. Peter Odey and chairman, State Boundary Committee, represented by the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General of the State, Ededem Ani, was attended by a high profile delegation from Cross River State, including the State Security Adviser (SSA), Major-General Okoi Ubi Obono (retd), Head of Personal Staff to the Deputy Governor, Dr Chris Ojikpong; the Director-General of Border Communities Development Commission (BORDERCOM), Ngim Okpo.
Others were Special Adviser to the Governor on Community Relations, Chief Ada Charles Egwu; Head of Local Government Administration, Abi Local Government Area, Cross River State, Mrs. Eke Ani and traditional rulers from the affected local government area of the State as well as other relevant government officials.
The Ebonyi State delegation to the meeting had the Commissioner for Border Peace and Conflict Resolution, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor and Chairman of Ikwo Local Government Area, as well as traditional rulers, among other top government officials.
Niger Delta
Cross River Commissioner Threatens School Principals With Sack Over Illegal Levies
The Commissioner for Education in Cross River State, Senator Stephen Odey, has threatened to sack any school principal caught in any illegality, including imposing an unapproved levy on pupils or students.
Odey spoke during a reception to mark the conferment of a second doctorate on him and the launch of his new book, titled “Oil and Gas Pollution Abatement and Legislation in Nigeria.”
The commissioner, who said he had received reports of illegal charges and was investigating their veracity, affirmed that the various reforms introduced in the education sector were necessitated by the need for change.
“I am not tough but I am doing things differently; the old style is gone. One thing that is permanent in life is change and when people resist change, it means that something is wrong,” he said.
He further said that his doctorate in philosophy and law will help him to discharge his duties, while also declaring that there is a need for upgrading academic attainments and diversification.
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