News
Fresh Crisis In Bayelsa Over N207bn Debt
A staggering sum of N207billion debts left behind by the administration of Chief Timipre Sylva may hurt projects development in Bayelsa, if the reports of the Financial Management Review Committee is anything to go by.
The committee headed by one-time Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Timi Alaibe submitted its report on Monday with the disclosure that the former regime of Timipre Sylva left behind a liability of over N207 billion.
The committee requested the government to recover funds from alleged questionable payments of contracts of N123.18 by the previous government.
Among the alleged questionable payments to the said contractors included, Moreno Construction Company, N10.2billion, Vehicles purchase N2billion, FAK Engineering, N9billion, SENECO N14.28billion and Ratana N2billion.
Chief Alaibe, who disclosed this in Yenagoa when presenting its report to Governor Seriake Dickson, revealed that only N4,500 cash was in the state treasury when the present government emerged.
The committee recommended that government should tactically reduce the cash flow in the state and review the biometric process of payment of civil servants to expunge “ghosts” on government nominal roll.
He highlighted that N660billion was received during Sylva’s government in the past four and half years, stressing that only N2.89billion was discovered in government bank accounts which cannot be assessed.
The 11-man committee was inaugurated on February 27 by the state governor to investigate the income and expenditure of the last administration.
Alaibe said the N47.18 billion bond collected by Sylva’s government at the capital market was not repaid, as he noted that government would pay back N104.2billion.
The committee recommended that competent hands should be appointed as accountant general of the state and director of treasury to enhance internal control mechanism to provide checks in the treasury department.
Alaibe called for a fresh valuation exercise of all existing contracts in the state before performance certificate is issued to them for payment and also recommended short, medium and long term planning to increase the Internally Generated Revenue(IGR)in the state.
The report also revealed that the former Acting Governor of the state, Nestor Binabo, awarded contract of N1.8billion on February 7, immediately approved payment and the release of the contract funds without the jobs being executed.
To this end, the committee recommended that the contracts should be revoked.
Earlier, Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, said the committee report would serve as living document and assured that government will look at its recommendations and take action where necessary.
Meanwhile, former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timi Sylva, has said that the outcome of the report of the committee set up by the Bayelsa State Government constituted another means of witch-hunting him.
Sylva said the probe committee, headed by a former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Chief Timi Alaibe, was another obsession with his ghost.
According to a statement by his aide, Doifie Ola, Sylva said the outcome of the probe committee was premeditated.
He said the report never indicted him of any wrongdoing.
The statement by Ola reads in full: “Our attention has been drawn to a committee report administered by Mr. Ndutimi Alaibe in which phoney allegations of grand financial crimes were made against the government of Chief Timipre Sylva.
“Sylva dismisses these allegations as unfounded, and a failed attempt to divert attention from the calamitous political parodies committed in Bayelsa State by these accusers.
“The report of the kangaroo committee is as ridiculous as it is unsurprising to any Nigerian. The composition did not belie its intent as another mock team impulsively set up to deliver a pre-determined judgement. In their continued battle with the ghost of Sylva, those who have installed a puppet administration in Bayelsa State have once again demonstrated their loss of touch with the essence of government and their choice of shadowboxing as state policy.
“To be sure, government is an administrative structure set up to govern human beings with needs. Any normal investigation of government expenditure would try to demonstrate how the financial laws were flouted. The Alaibe committee did not attempt to do this. It simply compiled the incomes that accrued to Bayelsa State within a carefully selected period targeted to smear Sylva, and assumed that there were no needs met in the period.
“The Alaibe report did not demonstrate any flouting of the state’s financial laws and regulations. If anyone had proof of such contravention, they knew where to go. And where to go is not an illegal committee unknown to the laws of Bayelsa State and Nigeria.
“Besides, the allegations thrown up by the power usurpers in Bayelsa State are too weighty to be handled by people with vested political interests in the state and whose track record and history smell of corruption.
The report by the Alaibe committee is at best biased, petty, and heavily tainted. This is yet another manifestation of the constant distress in the camp of those who recently usurped power in Bayelsa State as they live in perpetual fear of Sylva, and guilt of the harsh judgement of democratic humanity.
“As we near a judicial resolution of the manifest political travesty in Bayelsa State, those who believe they should do nothing other than fight the ghost of Sylva should learn to mitigate their desperation, at least, for the decency of what remains of our democracy that they have tried so hard to compromise.”
In the report by the Alaibe committee, presented to the state government on Monday, Sylva was accused of mismanaging the N660.45 billion his government received from the Federation Account from 2007 to 2011.
Sylva was also accused of accumulating almost all the N207 billion liabilities on the state government in terms of debts and frittering the N50 billion bond he received in December 2009 from the capital market without utilising the funds for the capital projects it was meant for.
The Alaibe committee, tagged the Financial Management Review Committee, told the state Governor, Seriake Dickson, that the state under Sylva received N99.5 billion in 2007; N164.7 billion in 2008; N106.3 billion in 2009; N110.6 billion in 2010; and N189.1 billion in 2011.
Alaibe said though government expenditure increased from N165 billion in 2007 to N208 billion in 2010, the chunk of the money was used to finance recurrent expenditure such as personnel, overhead and other contingency costs.
He said the recurrent expenditure maintained steady increase from 48 per cent in 2007 to 80 per cent in 2010 and 2011, observing that there was 48 per cent decline in capital expenditure within the period under review.
Alaibe added: “This accounted for the absence of funds for the implementation of capital projects. In the same period, recurrent expenditure had increased to 123 per cent from 2007 to 2010. In contrast, there was 48 per cent drop in capital expenditure during the same period.”
The report said most of the spending was without supporting documents, noting that security and ‘Government House emergency expenses subheads were used as a conduit to move the cash.
It further alleged that apart from the conventional security votes contained in the recurrent expenditure, the immediate past administration claimed to have spent on security N3.3 billion in 2010, N10.3 billion in 2011 and N3.87 billion in January and February 2012.
Sylva allegedly withdrew N1.6 billion in 2010, N7.4 billion in 2011 and N155 million in January and February 2012 from the treasury under the subhead: Government House Emergency Expenses.
Alaibe said in the report: “These payments were in spite of the regular monthly security payment made out of recurrent expenditure amounting to N3.19 billion in 2010; 7 billion in 2011 and N890 million for January and February 2012. Clearly these payments are abnormal payments. They are frivolous and in fact fraudulent.”
Dickson vowed to implement the recommendations of the committee as he lamented the collapse of institutions and processes in the past administration, adding: “It is difficult to believe that this kind of thing happened amidst poverty and so many challenges. “Never again will the state return to the time when all institutions and processes vanished.”
News
Rivers DPOs Receive Awards For Outstanding Performance In Crime Prevention …As Students, Media Group Honour CSP Worgu, CSP Yusuf
Two Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) in Rivers State have been honoured by separate groups for their contributions to security, crime prevention and improved community-police relations in their respective areas of responsibility.
The beneficiaries are the DPO of Afam Police Division, CSP Endurance Worgu and his counterpart at Oyigbo Police Division, CSP Bello Yusuf.
CSP Worgu was honoured by a group of students under the aegis of Rivers State Graduate Students Associations for what they described as his commitment and outstanding performance in the discharge of his duties.
The students, led by Chidi John Enyie, Esq. said CSP Worgu was selected based on his track record and status as one of the longest-serving young DPOs of Rivers State origin.
According to the group, CSP Worgu has made significant contributions to the protection of lives and property in the area since assuming office following the #EndSARS period.
The students said they were particularly impressed by the improvement in community-police relations under his leadership, noting that professionalism had remained a key feature of his service.
Enyie represented by Comrade Briggs Soku, said the students community was pleased to identify with a Rivers indigene who had distinguished himself in the police force.
He said the students considered it necessary to encourage and celebrate CSP Worgu because of his achievements as a young Rivers man excelling in a profession that many people from the state were often reluctant to join.
Receiving the award at his office in Afam, CSP Worgu expressed gratitude to God and the students for finding him worthy of the honour.
The DPO said the recognition had boosted his morale and encouraged him to sustain his efforts towards maintaining peace and security in the area.
He said he least expected the honour, particularly because it came from the students, adding that the recognition would further motivate him to serve the people better.
CSP Worgu assured residents of Afam that the police would sustain the existing peace in the area.
He appealed to members of the public to support the police by providing credible and timely information, stressing that useful information from residents would make the job of security personnel easier.
Meanwhile, the Ikwerre/Etche Media Association has also honoured the DPO of Oyigbo Police Division, CSP Bello Yusuf, for his efforts in tackling criminal activities in the area.
The media group presented the award following the swift tracking and arrest of five suspected kidnappers who had allegedly terrorised residents of the Kom-Kom axis and other parts of Oyigbo.
The group commended CSP Bello for what it described as his determined efforts to restore confidence and security in the affected communities, particularly Kom-Kom and Obeama.
According to the group, the arrest of the suspects demonstrated the DPO’s commitment to tackling criminality and safeguarding residents.
The media association said residents had received the development with relief, noting that the police action had sent a strong message to criminal elements operating in the area.
Responding, CSP Yusuf appreciated the group for the recognition and reaffirmed that there would be no room for criminality in Oyigbo.
He also commended the media for its role in disseminating credible information to the public, saying the media had remained supportive of the police in the fight against crime.
CSP Yusuf warned criminal elements operating in Oyigbo to leave the area or be prepared to face the full weight of the law.
He assured residents that the police would continue to pursue criminals and work to dismantle their hideouts, regardless of where they might be operating.
News
College Of Bishops Endorses Tinubu, APC Candidates For 2027 Polls
The 5000 Achievers Christian Forum and Colleges of Bishops, Archbishops and Apostles, a Christian interdenominational organisation, has endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and all candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State for the 2027 general elections.
International President of the forum, Archbishop Lucky Aroh, disclosed this during the ordination and consecration of three new Bishops, as well as an award ceremony held in Port Harcourt.
Aroh said the performance of the APC-led Federal Government had endeared the party to the organisation, prompting the forum to declare its support for President Tinubu and other APC candidates in Rivers State.
He said the forum would support all APC candidates in the state during the 2027 elections and urged Nigerians to vote for the party.
Aroh, who is also the General Overseer of Caring Peoples Church, Port Harcourt, charged the newly consecrated Bishops to see their new positions as a great responsibility and dedicate themselves to the advancement of the kingdom of God.
He cautioned them against conduct capable of bringing their offices into disrepute, stressing that their activities would be closely watched by members of the public.
“As Bishops, the eyes of the public are on your activities. You must therefore conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of your calling,” he said.
Also speaking, the International Coordinator of the forum, Bishop Saint Robinson, urged the newly consecrated Bishops to work diligently towards winning souls for the kingdom of God.
Robinson, who was the guest speaker at the event, stressed that the activities of Bishops must at all times be guided by godly principles.
He also called on members of the church to support and cooperate with the newly consecrated Bishops in the discharge of their responsibilities.
The Secretary of the College, Apostle Elizabeth Ayadi Abaye, said the organisation was established to advance the kingdom of God and promote spiritual development.
According to her, the forum has organised several crusades, conferences, prayer meetings, ordinations, consecrations, enthronements, empowerment programmes and other spiritual development activities across the country as part of efforts to win souls for Christ.
Abaye said the organisation has members across the world and disclosed that more programmes had been scheduled to promote the spiritual development and wellbeing of humanity.
The three Bishops consecrated at the ceremony were Prince Alban Chike, Testimony Omenihu Shedrach and Prince Ifemena.
Among those honoured at the event were the Chairman of the Community Development Committee (CDC), Abali Community, Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, Manuchimso Prince Lemmy Wopara, and Clifford Oko Jaja, Coordinator of the 5,000 House-to-House for President Tinubu.
By: John Bibor
News
Police Arrest Fake Soldier, Others For Armed Robbery, Kidnapping
The Rivers State Police Command has arrested a 49-year-old suspected fake soldier, Andrew Atausi, and several other suspects in connection with various criminal activities, including kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, one-chance robbery and the alleged murder of police officers.
The State Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, disclosed this in Port Harcourt, recently during a press briefing at the Command Headquarters, where he said the arrests formed part of the operational achievements recorded by the Command between June and August 2026.
Adepoju said Atausi was arrested on August 10 by police operatives along Ada George, Port Harcourt, while dressed in military uniform and driving a Toyota Hilux painted in Army colours.
The Commissioner said investigation revealed that Atausi was not a member of the Armed Forces, adding that he was suspected to be a serial car snatcher, with three suspected stolen vehicles recovered from him.
He said the recovered vehicles included three Toyota Hilux vehicles without registration numbers and a Toyota Corona Premio with registration number BNY 380 ES, noting that the chassis and engine numbers of the vehicles had allegedly been tampered with.
Adepoju added that an axe and military accoutrements were also recovered from Atausi, as investigation continued into the circumstances surrounding the vehicles and other items recovered from him.
On the June 29 attack on police officers at Aluu Division, the Commissioner said three members of the gang allegedly responsible for the incident had been arrested by operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit, VCRU-AKU.
The suspects, identified as Maduabuchi Emeka, 34, alleged gang leader; Doctor Chinedu Owhor, 42, and Kamachi Joe, 28, alleged armourer, reportedly led operatives to their hideout at Omagwa where two AK-47 rifles stolen during the attack were recovered.
Adepoju recalled that two police officers were killed during the Aluu attack, while others were wounded and one officer had his leg amputated, stressing that efforts were ongoing to apprehend the fourth suspect.
On kidnapping, the Commissioner said five members of a suspected kidnapping syndicate were arrested in Oyigbo Local Government Area, adding that they allegedly confessed to operations in Kom-Kom, Railway, Obeama and Afam communities.
He said two other suspects from the same network, Anele Ogbogu, 35, alleged to be the gang’s armourer, and Kenneth Eke, 38, were arrested on July 27, with one AK-47 rifle and one SMG rifle recovered.
The Commissioner further disclosed the arrest of suspects in connection with alleged firearm offences, armed robbery, cultism and one-chance robbery, with firearms, ammunition and other exhibits recovered during the operations.
Adepoju assured residents that the Command would sustain intelligence-led, proactive and community-oriented policing in collaboration with other security agencies, while urging members of the public to continue providing credible information that would assist the police in combating crime across Rivers State.
By; King Onunwor
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