A youth group in Bayelsa State, the Democratic Youth Watch (DEYOW), has accused Governor Seriake Dickson's administration of diverting a N12 billion loan taken by the state government for capital projects. The group also alleged that Mr. Dickson was dishonestly taking credit for roads rehabilitation projects done by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The group demanded that Mr. Dickson give account of the N12bn loan he allegedly collected to complete ongoing projects across the state.
The group accused the government of diverting the money, claiming that since the loan was collected, there had been nothing at project sites to justify the loan.
The youth group's chairman, Ayawei Zikala, and secretary, Anthony Ebiendu, insisted that the government declared the loan at one of its transparency briefings, and allegedly diverted the funds to other uses, but had yet to mobilise contractors to site.
The group lamented that the governor had failed to tell the people of the state how the money was spent, adding that the government keeps telling people that there was no money.
"The governor declared the said money at a time civil servants were being owed salaries for several months and when the governor was asked to use the said N12 billion to settle outstanding civil servant salaries, he declined and insisted that the loan was collected to fund projects across the state.
"But after independently inspecting the many abandoned projects across the state, we are convinced that the state government didn’t put a dime from the N12 billion into any of abandoned projects littered across the state.
“Therefore, it is high time the governor began to explain to Bayelsa people how that money was spent. We say so because all we could remember is that, after the governor announced that the state government has collected N12billion loan to fund projects, all they did was dump trips of sand at the mini-estate they are building opposite and patch some bad spots along the Isaac Boro Expressway.
“To us, those projects are not worth the said N12 billion and we, therefore, want to urge the governor to give proper account of how the said money was spent.
"We are also aware that in an attempt by the state government to cover up for the said N12 billion they have misappropriated, the government falsely took credit for projects being funded by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
“It is no longer news that the NDDC has since come out in the open to state without any fear of contradiction that the state government lied when it said repairs on all internal roads in Yenagoa was being funded by the restoration government.
“We will not back down in our quest to unravel the mystery behind the N12 billion loan the state collected in the name of Bayelsa and its people.
"We will not allow our leaders to enslave our future; we will continue to protest until the governor does what is right.” The group said.
However Bayelsa Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Jonathan Obuebite, rather than addressing the allegations described the position of the youth body as propaganda sponsored by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva to incite the people.
"This latest move to paint the government in bad light is on its final stage of being sold to the public and pertains the ten billion naira that was sometime ago released to states for completion of ongoing projects.
"We are aware that Sylva and his army of dishonorable party men have engaged the services of some media organizations to publish damaging details of how the money was allegedly diverted and embezzled by the government.
"It is not a surprise to us because we know that the former governor and his cohorts will go to any length to discredit this administration. As a matter of fact they have never seen anything good from us.
"Their frustration is understandable: In 2012 Bayelsans stoned and denied them the opportunity to continue their rascality and bad style of governance and when they made another attempt to return last year they were again roundly rejected.
"Also an attempt to force their way back to power through the back door using the courts have been futile as the judiciary has rejected their mischievous case laced with deceit and lies.
"For the records the said funds is ten and not twelve billion naira. So far the government has spent a substantial amount of it to contractors handling various projects in the educational sector including the ecumenical centre, dualization of Igbogene road, construction of terminal building at the Bayelsa International Airport in Amassoma to mention but a few," the group said.