Niger Delta

Dickson Pays Off N104bn Inherited Bond From Sylva Administration

Published

6 years ago

August 19, 2019

Bayelsa State Government last Friday said it has completely defrayed the N104 billion bond loan inherited from the Timipre Sylva administration.
The state Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Maxwell Ebibai disclosed this during the monthly transparency briefing for the Months of June and July, 2019 in Yenagoa.
Mr. Ebibai explained that the state government painstakingly undertook the repayment of the debt in spite of numerous financial obligations.
The Finance Commissioner who noted that the Governor Dickson-led administration is not against deficit financing, but emphasised that borrowed funds must be utilised for development purposes.
His words: “The state government has concluded the payment of bond that was taken by the previous administration.
“And as a government, our concern is that it carries the assets and liabilities of every government. We have taken on that responsibility painfully and we are done with it.
“There is nothing wrong with a government deciding to do deficit financing but what is important is what we are using it for and we have put it behind us as a state.”
Presenting the revenues and expenditures for the month of July, Mr. Ebibai said in the month of June, it recorded an internally generated revenue of N1.5 billion as against N910m in May.
He noted that the gross income from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee, (FAAC), stood at N11.6 billion, while total FAAC deductions amounted to N1.1 billion.
According to him, the statutory allocation for the month of July was N3.4 billion, derivation, N7 billion, Value Added Tax, N928 million and exchange gain differential of N23 million.
Mr. Ebibai further explained that total funds available for spending was N13.4 billion, consisting of a net FAAC inflow of N10.4 billion in addition to total other receipts of N3 billion.
On outflows, the Finance Commissioner said government spent N2.4 billion on bank loans, civil servants and political appointees salaries came up to N3.5billion, grants to higher institutions N695 million among other items.
The Commissioner who announced N701.5 million as balance brought forward from the month of June, put funds available as at the end of July as N399 million.
Mr. Ebibai also said recurrent and capital payments gulped a total of N6.4 billion.
Earlier in his remarks, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Hon. Daniel Iworiso-Markson had expressed expectation that the transparency and accountability policy would be sustained as it is backed by law.

Niger Delta

Diri To Deliver UNIPORT’s 35th Convocation Lecture July 25th … As UNIPORT’s Mgt Visits Bayelsa

Published

1 day ago

June 20, 2025

The Tide

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, will deliver the 35th convocation lecture of the University of Port Harcourt in Rivers State on July 25, 2025.

The State’s Chief Executive gave his consent during the courtesy visit of the institution’s management led by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Owunari Georgewill, to Government House, Yenagoa, last Friday.

Prof. Georgewill said the institution was proud to have the Governor as an alumnus, stating that the State under Governor Diri was experiencing rapid transformation as virtually all sectors of its economy had been positively affected by his administration.

The VC also said the institution was pleased to be associated with the Governor and that it was a huge privilege having him as a product of the school.

He appealed to the Governor to consider a legacy project as a way of giving back to the institution, which he noted will also help it cope with the rising number of students and staff.

While accepting the offer, Governor Douye Diri said as an alumnus, he was bound to be part of the institution’s activities.

He commended the UNIPORT management for maintaining excellence in the institution, stressing that education was crucial to development of society.

The Bayelsa number one citizen noted that leaders who fail to invest in education would have to deal with the consequences of crime and criminality, restating his administration’s commitment to developing the sector, noting that society would not progress without education.

The State’s helmsman explained that Bayelsa had shifted focus from paper qualification to science, technical and vocational education, and that the government had already completed tuition-free technical colleges in six out of the eight Local Government Areas, with the contract for the other two awarded.

“If you ignore education, then you have to build more prisons because crime will soar. For us as a government, education is a priority.

“Those of us that had the opportunity must provide space for others. In Bayelsa, we are moving from paper qualification to science and technical education so our people can have skills to be employers of labour rather than being thrown into the labour market.

“We are building science and vocational colleges in every local government area as a policy of this government. School fees, feeding and accommodation are all free. Our educational curriculum needs to meet the needs of our society.

“Coming to your requests, I will be happy to deliver the convocation lecture. If I did it in other institutions, UNIPORT’s should not be different. I also approve your request for a legacy infrastructure in our institution”, he said.

Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa

Niger Delta

C’River Commences Inquiry Into NDDC’s Project Inauguration Disruption

Published

1 day ago

June 20, 2025

The Tide

The Cross River State Government has constituted a judicial commission of inquiry to probe the alleged disruption of the inauguration of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) sponsored project in Calabar.

The five-member commission, which has Justice Emilia Ibok as Chairman, was mandated to ascertain the truth from the divergent narratives in the public domain regarding the disruption.

It has two weeks to submit its report.

The Tide’s source reports that the incident had sparked off intense faceoff between Sen. Asukwo Ekpenyong, representing Cross River Senatorial District, and the State Government over the ownership of some projects in Calabar metropolis.

The acrimony, however, took a dramatic turn, when some youths, allegedly on the orders of the State Government, disrupted the inauguration of one of the projects slated to be performed by the Minister of Regional Development, Alhaji Abubakar Momoh, last Friday.

The fracas that ensued pitched Ekpenyong’s supporters against those of the State Government.

Meanwhile, Ekpenyong has blamed the State Government for the ugly incident.

Reacting to the accusation, the State Government quickly announced the constitution of a judicial commission of inquiry to look into the issue.

The Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Anthony Owan-Enoh, said that “following a deluge of allegations of disruption of some projects unveiling hosted by the NDDC, the Governor had constituted a judicial commission of inquiry.

“The commission shall identify the perpetrators and make appropriate recommendations for further disciplinary and/or criminal proceedings to be pursued against identified perpetrators.

“The commission is to conclude its inquiry and submit a report on or before July, 1,” Owan-Enoh said.

Niger Delta

FG Lauds Oborevwori’s Bold Initiatives In Delta

Published

1 day ago

June 20, 2025

The Tide

The Federal Government has praised Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, for what it described as his proactive approach and bold steps in facilitating key infrastructural projects across the state.

The Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, who stated this during an inspection of the Second Niger Bridge access road, commended Governor Oborevwori for his support in the successful realization of the Second Niger Bridge access road and other critical infrastructure developments in the State.

Speaking to journalists in Asaba during the inspection, Umahi, a former Governor of Ebonyi State, lauded Governor Oborevwori for gazetting the right-of-way for the Second Niger Bridge access road extending to Issele-Azagba, and for personally overseeing the revocation and compensation processes related to affected properties.

“Let me commend, very, very highly, the Governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, because he has gazetted the right-of-way for the Second Niger Bridge access road to Issele-Azagba.

“He has revoked the necessary properties and he is paying compensation himself”, Umahi stated.

The Minister urged other governors in the country to emulate Governor Oborevwori’s collaborative approach, noting that state-level support could accelerate federal projects and deliver quicker results to local communities.

He said: “I also want to appreciate the synergy between the Delta State Government and the Federal Government on ongoing projects in the state. The proactive approach by the Delta State Government in taking over the payment of compensation to affected individuals has been instrumental in fast-tracking these projects.

“I am confident this collaboration will yield positive results, and I assure the state government that the Federal Ministry of Works will honor its commitments”.

He also commended Governor Oborevwori for the ongoing construction of three flyovers and road expansion projects in Effurun, describing them as “very beautiful” and praising their unique design.

“I love the curves, and I have stolen that design and I am going to use it”, he said, highlighting the innovative flair seen in the projects.

Describing Oborevwori as a man of vision and progress, Umahi said, “he (Oborevwori) has a very large heart and a very progressive mind. No wonder he is with us now. So, I commend him very highly.”

Earlier, during a visit to the Warri-Benin-Asaba Road, Umahi expressed concern over the slow pace of work on the Effurun-Sapele section and urged the contractors to increase their speed to meet the project deadlines.

“Timely completion is crucial, and I expect all contractors to work diligently towards achieving this goal”, he said.

Speaking on behalf of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Kingsley Emu, reaffirmed the state’s commitment to a mutually beneficial partnership and ongoing collaboration with the Federal Government.

He commended the Federal Government for the 17.6km access road from the Second Niger Bridge linking Delta State, and the proposed concrete rehabilitation of the four-lane, 5km road from Summit Junction to the bridgehead.

Emu emphasized that the economic impact of these projects, once completed, cannot be overstated, and thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of Works for their commitment to delivering them.