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Following the plethora of acidic comments and reactions that have continued to trail the N37 billion refunds by the Federal Government to Bayelsa State, a Bayelsa-based social commentator, Miriki Ebikibina, has called on the federal and state governments to “come clean on the controversial forfeiture of a whopping N11 billion, being balance of the N37 billion meant as refund for federal projects executed by the state.
The N37 billion refund to Bayelsa State has become a major issue of discussion by all and sundry and at the centre of the controversy is the state government. Ebikibina said Bayelsans are yearning for a convincing statement to lay the matter to rest.
According to him, “It is unimaginable, sad and worrisome for a state that is in dire need of aggressive development, faced with abject poverty and increasing level of unemployment and wave of insecurity, would compromise the forfeiture of such a huge money at a critical moment the Covid-19 pandemic is having its toll on the economy. It is unacceptable, deceptive and disservice to the state.”
Ebikibina, not satisfied “like many concerned Bayelsans,” wondered why Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State could be paid in full, while Bayelsa’s Gov Douye Diri would be allegedly short changed, adding that the situation needed a better and transparent explanation to the people.
A source who pleaded anonymity posited that the Bayelsa State governor, Douye Diri, should address a world press conference to give Bayelsans and “the entire world a succinct and lucid comprehensive explanation,” also blamed the opposition for keeping mute over the “missing 11 billion” that would have gone a long way to address myriads of developmental challenges facing the state, despite its size and population compared to other states that were created the same time but had gone far in the development index.
The source further said that if the opposition had woken up to its task, the “source of the controversial N37 billion would have be unraveled as it is still shredded in secrecy giving room to speculation and unfounded rumours.”
