Today, Saturday, 8th February, 2020, The Governor Of Bayelsa State, His Excellency, Honourable Henry Seriake Dickson a.k.a The Ofuruma Pepe was Conferred With the Chieftaincy Title Of OYI’ IHOTU K’ IDOMA By The Idoma Area Traditional Council Of Benue State.
This is in recognition of his role as a bridge builder, a nationalist and a true Democrat.
Gov Dickson is the third non Idoma man to be so conferred with the revered title of Oyi’ Ihotu K’ IDOMA which means ‘the cherished son of Idoma kingdom’.
This has added to the numerous titles the Country man Governor has received across the nation.
The Och’Idoma said the conferment of the prestigious title on the Governor was an appreciation of the qualities of kindness and his display of magnanimity to the Idoma nation.
In his remark the Governor thanked the Idoma Council of Elders and the good people of Idoma land for the honour. ‘We are humans and have all been assigned by our creator and maker, the all mighty God to contribute our best with any platform we have been given to better the lives of people. Though we are only performing our duty, it is quite gratifying to note that our humble contributions are noticed and appreciated, ‘
The occasion was attended by the Governor of Benue State who was represented by his deputy, Engr. Benson Abounu, Senator David Mark, former Senate president of Nigeria, Hon. Francis Ottah Agbo, Member of the Federal House of Representatives, representing Ado/Obadigbo/Opkokwu Federal Constituency, and many other dignitaries from across the nation.
SPORTS MINISTER TO GRACE FINAL OF GOV. DICKSON FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT
By Aferiokhai Osigbemeh
Minister of Sports, Mr. Sunday Dare, will be the Special Guest of Honour at the grand finale of the third edition of the Governor Henry Seriake Dickson Football Tournament.
The final game of the Restoration Cup, which will feature the football teams of Okolobiri and Ekeremor communities, will hold on Sunday, February 9 at the renovated Samson Siasia Sports Complex in Yenagoa.
The Tournament Director, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, said in a statement that the outgoing Bayelsa State Governor, Honourable Henry Seriake Dickson, will take the ceremonial kick-off alongside the Sports Minister.
Also expected are former Super Eagles player and coach, Samson Siasia, and other ex-internationals from the Ijaw nation.
The event, which will be hosted by the Commissioner for Sports, Hon. Daniel Igali, would also feature the commissioning of some of the facilities built by the Governor Dickson administration at the stadium.
The tournament’s Director-General, Mr. Ono Akpe, said preparations are in top gear towards an expected exciting final game.
He urged youths of the state to continue to channel their talent and energy toward sports in order to give the state a positive image at all times.
Ahead the final, Okolobiri FC had defeated the defending champions, Peretorugbene, 4-3 on penalties in the first semi-final. The game ended 1-1.
Peretorugbene had gone ahead a few minutes to the end of the first half through a well-taken penalty kick by Osaro Loveday.
At the resumption, the attacking forays of the Okolobiri team paid off when the tournament’s highest goal scorer, Stephen Isaiah, equalised for his side, increasing his goal tally to 10.
During the shoot-out, Peretorugbene lost two kicks while Okolobiri converted four to defeat the cup holders.
In the second semi-final, Ekeremor defeated Nembe City 4-0 with all the goals scored in the second half.
With 161 registered teams in the 2019 edition of the Restoration Cup, the tournament has become the biggest grassroots football competition in Nigeria.
The annual tournament is supported by Governor Dickson with the assistance of individuals and corporate organisations.
Bayelsa Airport will enhance Niger Delta security – Air Force chief
…as NAF maiden flight lands at facility
By Aferiokha Osigbemeh
A Nigeria Air Force (NAF) aircraft, on Sunday, made a historic touch-down at the new Bayelsa International Airport built by the outgoing Governor Henry Seriake Dickson administration.
It was the first time a military aircraft was landing at the airport, signifying that it is ready for full operations.
The Beechcraft plane marked NAF 204, which brought the Air Officer Commanding Mobility Command, Yenagoa, Air Vice Marshal Ibukun Ojeyemi, landed on the runway exactly 3.11pm. It was flown by Flight Lt. E.L. Moses with co-pilot Flight Lt. S.S. Amough.
Speaking to journalists at the airport, AVM Ojeyemi said the facilities at the Bayelsa International Airport were excellent and of the best standards.
He commended Governor Dickson and the state government for building such a facility and that the Air Force will utilise it for its operations pending its clearance for civil and commercial operations.
He noted that the facility will also enhance security of the area, the state and the Niger Delta in general.
The Air chief however dismissed the insinuation in some quarters that the state government had ceded the airport to the Air Force, saying that was not true.
He explained that the state governor only granted approval to the Air Force for its operations and to enhance the security of the airport.
His words: “This airport is an excellent facility and the runway is very good. It can take bigger aircraft like the 747s.
“The flight which was very smooth and hitch-free was to see how the Nigeria Air Force can effectively put the facility to use towards enhancing our operations in the state. This maiden flight is to see how we can effectively use the airport for our activities in the state.
“The facilities here are of international standard. The 3.5 kilometre runway, terminal building, safety equipment and every other facility here are up to standard.
“Our command will utilise this airport for our operations in order to enhance security in the state and the Niger Delta. We are grateful to the state and the governor for allowing us use of this airport, which is of international standard.
“That however does not mean that the facility has been ceded to the Air Force, to answer your question. That speculation is not true.”
AVM Ojeyemi praised Governor Seriake Dickson for having the courage and political will to undertake and complete such a gigantic project that would not only enhance the status of Bayelsa but improve its socio-economic activities and that of the entire South-South zone.
He said the Nigeria Air Force was delighted to embark on the maiden flight and was eagerly looking forward to more flights to the airport with or without the operational licence.
Also in her remarks, the Airport Manager, Mrs Elizabeth Akpama, urged the Federal Government to approve and issue the airport’s operational licence without delay.
Mrs Akpama noted that the airport, which she described as one of its kind with the longest runway in the South-South states, would boost the economy of the state and the region when it becomes fully operational.
“To the best of my knowledge, the airport is good to go. The 3.5 kilometre runway is superb. It is up to standard and you heard the Air Force officer saying that the maiden flight was without any problems. He has said that everything he has inspected so far is okay.
“My call to the Federal Government is to give us a waiver so that we can start flight operations. All the major things have been done according to standard. As far as I’m concerned, the airport is good to go and commercial flights should be allowed.
“Bayelsans are waiting patiently for this permit to be given to the state airport. It is going to be a plus economically and socially for the state.”
The Bayelsa International Airport, which has some of the latest aviation and navigational equipment, is yet to commence commercial flight operations as it awaits the mandatory certification by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
RESTORATION CUP ORGANISERS FELICITATE WITH ‘MR. SPORTS’ GOVERNOR SERIAKE DICKSON AT 54
By AferiokhaI Osigbemeh
Organisers of the Restoration Cup felicitate with our sports-loving governor, Honourable Henry Seriake Dickson, otherwise known as Mr. Sports, on the occasion of his 54th birthday.
They said it is significant that this year’s celebration coincides with the landmark achievement of Honourable Seriake Dickson becoming the first democratically elected governor of Bayelsa State to complete two terms of eight years in office.
The Director-General, Mr. Ono Akpe, and the Tournament Director, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, in a statement, noted that under Governor Dickson, Bayelsa has won more laurels as the state’s athletes have excelled at both local and International competitions.
They also stated that Governor Dickson has used sports, especially football, to change the development narrative about the state.
“As a major sponsor of the Restoration Cup, the governor’s unrelenting support has ensured that the tournament has grown to become the biggest grassroots football competition in the country.
“It is to the governor’s credit that through the tournament, several football talents are being discovered for the state and the country at large. The third edition, which is ongoing, is living up to its billing as the veritable channel for the discovery of budding talents and a platform for them to showcase their natural skills.”
The organisers wished the man popularly known as the Ofurumapepe and the Talk-na-do-Governor a hearty birthday celebration and more years of fruitful service to the Ijaw nation, Nigeria and humanity.
They also prayed for God’s continuous blessings and good health on the amiable governor.
Who between Bayelsa and Rivers states owns Soku oil wells? In resolving the conflict of ownership, stakeholders believe that it is pertinent to first determine the ideal location of Soku in the administrative map.
Are the disputed Soku oil wells located in Oluasiri, a community in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, or are they situated in Kalabari, a kingdom in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area in Rivers State? This is the major question begging for answers as two Niger-Delta states, Rivers and neigbouring Bayelsa, fight dirty over an oil rich border area.
Bayelsa State’s claim of ownership to the disputed oil wells stemmed from the 11th edition of the country’s administrative map. The map, which was published by the National Boundary Commission and the Federal Surveyor-General’s Office in 2000, located the boundary between Rivers and Bayelsa at the San Bartholomew River. The delineation situated the oil wells within Oluasiri in Nembe Local Government Area.
Shortly after the publication of the map, Rivers State raised an objection protesting the boundary adjustment. The Rivers State government, under Dr. Peter Odili, reportedly petitioned the then chairman of the National Boundary Commission and former vice-president, Atiku Abubakar. The Rivers State government in its official communication on the matter has always cited a response to the Odili’s letter dated July 3, 2002 by the Director-General, NBC, where the commission acknowledged that the delineation was an error and promised to correct it in the 12th edition of the map.
But without holding briefs for the Bayelsa State government, stakeholders following the matter observe that while the matter was raging, it was agreed by all the parties that the revenue from Soku oil wells should be paid into an Escrow Account pending the resolution of the case. Despite the agreement, in the year 2000, former President Olusegun Obasanjo established a Presidential Committee on Disputed Oil Wells headed by one Major-General A. B. Mamman (Retd.).
The committee in its report recommended that the proceeds from Soku Oil Field be given to Bayelsa State. Former Governor Peter Odili objected to the recommendations of the committee and filed a legal action against the committee at the Federal High Court. Rivers government withdrew the matter following an objection by Bayelsa and filed another action at the Supreme Court. Based on the recommendations of the Mamman Committee, about N7.3bn was released to Bayelsa State from escrow account on March 19, 2007.
Angered by the development, the Rivers government continued to pursue the matter at the Supreme Court vigorously. Delivering judgement on Suit N0 SC/106/2009 Att. Gen of Rivers State vs. Att. Gen of Bayelsa State & Anor, the court washed its hands off the matter, saying it could only make a declarative order on ownership after the final boundary delineation by the NBC.
The apex court said: “It is on account of the foregoing and because of the technical nature of the dispute and the claims of the parties that the court finds that the NBC as an authority vested with authorities and expertise, know-how in dealing with this matter, should have, once and for all, conducted an exhaustive exercise of delineating the disputed boundary, hence the long awaited 12th edition of the Administrative Map when completed soonest would have been of tremendous assistance in settling the lingering dispute.
“In the light of the observations I have clearly expressed above, I do not feel comfortable to grant the declarations sought until the NBC concludes its exercise of delineation of disputed boundary to finality. It will be futile and premature to determine the boundary of the two parties in the present circumstance.”
Amaechi, Dickson tango
But the crisis raged on as former Governor Rotimi Amaechi engaged the then President Goodluck Jonathan, who hails from Bayelsa, and his counterpart in Bayelsa, Governor Seriake Dickson, in verbal warfare over the oil wells. Amaechi then warned Bayelsa to steer clear of the oil wells, saying “we will not allow Bayelsa State government to collect our oil wells.”
The then Rivers State deputy governor, Tele Ikuru, while addressing Kalabari Chiefs Ikuru said all federal agencies the state approached to help redress the problem ignored them. He wondered why Soku, an oil rich community in the state, was suddenly ceded to Bayelsa. He said despite the agreement that proceeds from oil and gas in the area should be paid to an escrow account, about N17bn from the account was transferred to Bayelsa.
“The issue of Soku has been known to be part of Rivers State. Suddenly we woke up to hear Soku does not belong to Rivers again. While we were challenging this, we asked that the whole money from there be paid into an escrow account. Suddenly they paid the money to Bayelsa State,” Ikuru lamented.
But Dickson in a statement signed by his then Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, replied Amaechi. He said Amaechi was a mischievous liar for claiming that President Goodluck Jonathan ceded the oil wells to his home state in his bid to punish Rivers people. Dickson insisted that there was no controversy over the ownership of the Soku oil wells since the issue was resolved by the Supreme Court, the National Boundary Commission (NBC) and several presidential committees.
The statement said: “It is instructive to note that not only are the survey coordinates of the affected areas within the geographical area of Bayelsa State, it is also in Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) delineated electoral constituency as electoral ward 13 in Nembe Local Council Area of Bayelsa State.”
Quoting chapter three of a report of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) dated August 2006, the statement said: “The Bayelsa/Imo/Abia State governments complained that the naming of oil fields was often done arbitrarily without any regard to the culture and particular environment of the people where the wells or fields are located. This has given rise to wrong attribution by relevant agencies.
“Incidentally, Soku village in Rivers State is about 10 kilometres, as the crow flies, from the flow station while the Oluasiri/Soku oil wells/field is completely surrounded by various Oluasiri communities such as Etukekiri, Ijawkiri, Fredkiri, Adokonikiri etc, all in Nembe Local Council Area of Bayelsa State.”
The statement also quoted sections of a report of a committee set up in October 2000 by the then President Olusegun Obasanjo and headed by Maj. Gen. A. B. Mamman (retd), which said: “Soku Oil Field: The team relied on the legal notice captioned “The Eastern Region Local Government Law, 1955 E.R. NO 26 of 1955. Instrument Establishing the Nembe District Council” tendered by Bayelsa State on Pages 40-41 of its submission.
“It should be noted that while the Kalabari of Rivers State call the area Soku, the Nembe people of Bayelsa State call it Oluasiri, which is one of the councils mentioned in paragraph 5 of the above mentioned instrument. In the light of the above, it is recommended that the production from Soku Oil Field be attributed to Bayelsa State.”
The reports, according to the statement, paved the way for Bayelsa to apply for the monies that had been placed in an escrow account.
“From July 2004, the Revenue Commission officially attributed the Oluasiri (Soku) Oil well to Bayelsa State and the amount of N7,292,218,892 was subsequently released from the ESCROW account to Bayelsa State on March 19, 2007, during the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“The Bayelsa State government made the application for a refund of N17,405,702,164.34 during the administration of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua on the reconciliation of Nembe-South oil field in Bayelsa State and was found by RMAFC to be true.
“Amaechi, failed to disclose that Rivers State made a similar claim on Nda and Okwori oil wells from Bayelsa, Imo, Abia, Akwa Ibom and Delta states, and got a refund of N17.5 billion.”
Wike keeps the battle raging
The incumbent Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, shocked Bayelsa State at the twilight of Dickson’s administration. Unknown to Dickson, Wike engaged his legal team in a fresh battle to reclaim the Soku oil wells. A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja awarded the Soku Oil Wells to Rivers State. Delivering judgement in a suit filed by the Attorney-General of Rivers State and the National Boundary Commission, Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court said based on the facts before the court, the oil wells belonged to Rivers State.
The court then issued an order compelling the NBC to rectify the 11th Edition of the Administrative Map of Nigeria, which contained the erroneous interstate boundary between Rivers State and Bayelsa State in the 12th Edition. The court declared that the failure of NBC to rectify the admitted mistake in the 11th edition of the Administrative Map of Nigeria since 2002 which erroneously showed St Batholomew River instead of River Santa Barbara as the interstate boundary between the two states was a breach of its statutory duty and a flagrant disobedience of the order of the Supreme Court.
But an indication that the Soku oil well conundrum is yet to be rested despite the recent judgement emerged following the decision of Bayelsa State to challenge the order of the federal high court. Immediately the judgment was issued, the Bayelsa state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Andrew Arthur, said Bayelsa was not a party to the application filed by the Rivers State government.
Describing the judgment as unfortunate, Arthur said the application was cunningly hidden from the Bayelsa government, adding that the government only got to know about it on the judgement day. He said though he would restrain from making further comments until he received a copy of the judgment, Rivers State government had brought similar applications on about four occasions but they were all dismissed by the court.
He asked the people of the state to remain calm noting that the government would challenge the order of the court at the appeal. Arthur said the processes that led to the judgement fell short of court rules, which mandated the court to include parties that could affected by its order to an instituted action. He said: “Don’t forget that we were not party to the said action that was brought by the Rivers State. We were not even aware of the pendency of the action up to the stage of this morning.
“I had to call the governor to intimate him of the fact that there was a judgment. I have not seen the hard copy of the judgment apart from what I read from papers. I can’t be making a comment on the basis of what is written in papers.
“But I will be in Abuja and I can assure you that Bayelsa State will have a robust defence by way of an appeal as an interested party. It is quite unfortunate. Rivers State had brought similar applications on about four occasions before the Federal High Court.
“All those applications had been dismissed on one ground or the other. What they did was to cleverly and cunningly not make Bayelsa State a party to the application. I quite understand that the application was for an order of mandamus compelling the National Boundary Commission. If they are simply compelling the NBC to do an act, that is what it is. Maybe that informed the reason why we were not made party to the application. The rule of court says that where a party is to be affected by the order to be made, the court shall direct that the processes be served on that other party.
“All these were not done and I can assure you that not later than Wednesday we would have taken the necessary steps to ensure that the wrong that had been meted on the people and government of Bayelsa State are dealt with. Bayelsans should remain calm. We understand that this government is almost at its terminal point, but we still owe a duty to protect the interest of Bayelsa and the government of Bayelsa will not shelve that responsibility at this stage.”
Also in an elaborate statement, the Bayelsa government further clarified its position on the matter. The government in the statement signed by Andrew said the lower court’s judgement was contrary to a decision of the Supreme Court on the matter. Andrew said despite the decision of the Supreme Court, the Rivers government instituted an action against the NBC to justify its “false” claims on the Soku oilfields, which he said are located within Nembe Loval Government Area.
He said: “From Monday 16th December, 2019 the media had been awash with reports that the Federal High Court, sitting at Abuja had delivered a judgment awarding the ownership of the said Oluasiri Oilfields/Oil wells to Rivers State purportedly pursuant to the judgment of the Supreme Court in Suit No. CS/106/2009 between Attorney-General, Rivers State v. Attorney-General, Bayelsa State & Anor
“It was also reported that the judgment of the Federal High Court was made to give effect to the decision of the Supreme Court, and purporting to direct the NBC to fix the boundary between Rivers and Bayelsa State at Santa Barbara River.
“It is worthy of note that the Supreme Court in Suit No. CS/106/2009 struck out the action on the ground that it was futile and premature to determine the boundaries of the two states insofar as the NBC had not delineated the boundary between Rivers State and Bayelsa State.
“The Supreme Court never made a specific order directing the NBC to delineate the disputed boundaries. Albeit, it is part of the statutory function of the NBC to deal with, determine and intervene in any boundary dispute that may arise between any two States of the Federation with a view to settling such dispute.”
In the Supreme Court judgement, Andrew quoted Galadima JSC to have said: It is on account of the foregoing and because of the technical nature of the dispute and the claims of the parties this Court finds that the NBC as an authority vested with authorities and expertise know-how in dealing with this matter should have once and for all conducted an exhaustive exercise of delineating the disputed boundary.
“Hence the long-awaited 12th Edition of the Administrative Map when completed soonest would have been of tremendous assistance in settling this lingering dispute.
“In the light of the observations I have clearly expressed above I do not feel comfortable to grant the declarations sought until the NBC concludes its exercise of delineation of disputed boundary to finality. It will be futile and premature to determine the boundary of the two parties States in the present circumstances. However, the appropriate order to be made in the prevailing circumstance is that of striking out the Plaintiff’s suit, and I so order accordingly. Each party to bear its costs.”
Andrew said following the judgement, the NBC in exercise of its statutory functions commenced the efforts to exhaustively and finally resolve the boundary dispute between Rivers and Bayelsa State with the constitution of Joint Technical Committee on the Bayelsa/Rivers Interstate Boundary and the deputy governors of both states leading their respective delegation.
He said: “After a couple of meetings of the aforesaid committee, on the 30th of January, 2013, the Rivers State delegation led by the then deputy governor, Engr. Tele Ikuru, formally announced the withdrawal of the state’s delegation from further deliberation and participation in the joint delimitation and demarcation exercises until certain conditions articulated by the deputy governor of Rivers State, are met, which amongst others, included the payments of all revenue from the disputed oil wells into an Escrow Account under the Accountant-General of the Federation.
“Given the background and the state of affairs necessitated by the voluntary withdrawal of Rivers State from further deliberation and participation in the joint delimitation and demarcation exercise in respect of the disputed boundary.
“It is therefore surprising that Rivers State could resort to instituting the action at the Federal High Court, Abuja against the NBC and without the knowledge and participation of Bayelsa State, and proceeded to obtain a judgement to the effect that the Oluasiri Oilfields/Oil wells, belong to Rivers State on the same unchanged facts and issues as was the case before the Supreme Court in Suit No. SC/106/2009.
“This to say the least, is highly unusual, curious, and clearly untenable and cannot be allowed to stand despite the media frenzy orchestrated and sponsored by the government of Rivers State.
“Bayelsa State is confident of its historical claim of ownership over the lands on which the Oilfields/Oil wells in issue are situate and had always expressed its willingness to fully participate in any joint delimitation and demarcation exercise in respect of the disputed boundary.”
By all indications, the Soku oil well controversy will continue and may be inherited by the next administrations of Rivers and Bayelsa. It is only when the NBC updates the administrative map of the country in its 12th edition that the matter may be resolved. The 12th edition of the mapping will determine whether the rich Soku oil wells and oil fields belong to either Bayelsa or Rivers states
BAYELSA NOT TAKING NEW LOANS…No major loan in over two year…Says fears over loans misplaced ….Daniel Iworiso Markson
…No major loan in over two year
…Says fears over loans misplaced
By Aferiokhai Osigbemeh
Daniel Iworiso Markson
The Bayelsa State Government has said that it is not making any effort whatsoever to obtain new loans in the state.
The Commissioner for Information, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, who stated this in a statement on Monday also said that the Government had not taken any major loan in over two and a half years.
Iworiso-Markson stated further that the government would not present any fresh budget to the House of Assembly for the year 2020.
He explained that the 2019 budget would run till the end of the Administration on February 14, 2020.
The Commissioner stressed that the Restoration Government under the leadership of the Honorable Henry Seriake Dickson, had not also received any loan advance from any financial institution.
According to him, Governor Dickson is reputed to have led a transparent and decent government in almost eight years and would not initiate any step that could impact adversely on any incoming administration.
He said that the Governor gave a standing instruction that there should be no employment and major decisions that could affect any incoming government in line with the high standards for which his administration is reputed.
The Commissioner said that the Government would present a full financial state of the state under the Restoration Government which would be made available to the public.
He said that whosoever would take over government would realize that Bayelsa had no money for anybody to steal as the limited funds had been tied to life changing projects.
He urged the well-meaning public to discountenance the fears being expressed in some quarters about imaginary loans describing such tales as unnecessary and misplaced.
He added that the government has received approval from the Assembly on the Self Accounting Law on disbursements to the Judiciary and the Legislature and has made arrangements for their funding in accordance with the law.
PDP GOVERNORS FORUM CONGRATULATES MEMBERS OVER LANDSLIDE VICTORIES IN VARIOUS APPEAL COURTS
By Aferiokhai Osigbemeh
The PDP Governors Forum has congratulated all its members on the landslide victory recorded on the various post-election petition cases at the several Courts of Appeal across the country.
In a press statement released on Friday and signed by the DG of the Forum, Earl Osaro Onaiwu, the forum said the Appeal Courts have by their judgments affirmed the wishes of the people who not only voted en-masse for their preferred PDP Candidates, but defended their votes and the mandates they granted the governors during the gubernatorial election of March 2019.
In the statement, the forum urged the electorate not to relent their efforts in giving the necessary support, prayers and loyalty to their leaders.
It also pleaded with the governors to reciprocate the love of their people with the resolve to continue to do more in delivering democratic dividends to the people who have not only put their hopes on them but have given them their wholehearted trust and undiluted loyalty even in the face of provocation and intimidation from certain quarters.
The PDP Governors Forum has begun the countdown to hosting the 2019
Edition of its annual IGR Summit in Abuja. Glimpses into the event show that an
array of tested IGR experts are billed to make strategic presentations, aimed
at boosting revenue generation initiatives in the PDP-governed States.
The ultimate intention of the Forum in hosting the strategic event is to
increase the economic well-being of the citizenry, and provide more access to
dividends of democracy, a cardinal objective of the PDP.
The summit is expected to parade finance and IGR experts like Dr. Peter
Obi, former Governor of Anambra State and Vice Presidential Candidate of the
PDP, Dr. Obadiah Mailafia, a former CBN Deputy Governor, Mr. Akinyele Oladeji,
an IGR Expert and Managing Consultant/Country Representative of Canadian
Software Development Corporation (CSDC Consulting Nigeria) and a coterie of
frontline speakers, session chairmen, faculty members amongst others drawn from
allied and related sectors.
In a statement released on Monday and signed by Earl Osaro Onaiwu, DG of
the Forum; the Summit will hold at the BON Hotel Stratton, (formerly Protea
Hotel), Asokoro, Abuja, on Wednesday/Thursday, November 27-28, 2019.
Titled “The Imperatives of Developing Internally-Generated Revenue
Options for State Governments in a Recessed Economy”, the summit which is
hosted by the PDP Governors Forum and managed by Messrs Red Sapphire Nigeria
Limited, in conjunction with the Producers of high-profile Finance programme,
“Money Line on AIT”, will parade the Finance expert, Nancy Iloh as Summit
Anchor.
The expected participants are – State Commissioners of Finance,
Trade/Investments, Budget/Economic Planning, Tourism and Local
Governments/Chieftaincy Affairs; National/State Assembly Committee Chairmen on
Local Governments whose input will generally provide statutory and
parliamentary backing for the major determinants and considerations on IGR
Resources; SSAs on Trade/Investments, Economy, Finance and Revenue Generation;
LGA Chairmen/ Secretaries, as well as Heads of State Boards of
Internally-Generated Revenue and Senior Executives engaged in the Development
and Management of Rural Economy amongst others.
The high-profile summit will feature the Governor of Bayelsa State and
Chairman of PDP Governors Forum, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson as the Chief Host
of the summit, and the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus as
the Special Guest of Honour.
Coalition Calls For Cancellation Of Bayelsa Governorship Election
BY TEMIDAYO AKINSUYI
The Coalition of Civil Society Election
Observers Group has called on the Independent National Election Commission
(INEC) to cancel the results of the Nov.16 governorship election in Bayelsa and
conduct a fresh election.
The coalition Co-ordinator, Mr Olufemi
Lawson made the call at a news conference on Thursday in Ikeja.
It will be recalled that INEC had
declared Chief David Lyon of the All Progressives Congress (APC), winner of the
election with 352,552 votes.
The commission also announced that
Lyon’s closest rival, Sen. Duoye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)polled
143,172 votes in the election.
Lawson said the result should not be
allowed to stand as it did not reflect the choice of Bayelsans.
He said reports by the coalition,
comprising civil society groups that monitored the election, and some other
local and international observers revealed that the election was not credible
as it was characterised with irregularities.
The coordinator said there were many
proven cases of violence during the election as well as many cases of ballot
snatching and stuffing.
Lawson said there were widespread
incidents of vote-buying during the election, adding many residents were
disenfranchised as a result of flooding in some communities.
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Lawson said security agencies did not
perform their expected responsibility to ensure the election was peaceful.
”We are miffed at the inability and
failure of security agencies to intervene or try to stop hoodlums from
perpetrating violence especially in the snatching of ballot boxes and
disruption of collation process at the polling units.
”The result of the election cannot be
said to represent the aspirations of the genuine voters in the state and we,
therefore, call for the cancellation of the results of the governorship
election.
”We are sad that till this moment, not
a single perpetrator or sponsor of the violence which characterised the
election has been arrested, despite the huge damages, including the loss of
lives experienced.
”We are also calling on all partners,
particularly the international community to consider appropriate sanctions ,
including visa ban for the perpetrators of violence in the elections and their
sponsor”, he said.
Also speaking, Deputy President,
Campaign for Democracy (CD), Mr. Isreal Babatunde said the conduct of Kogi and
Bayelsa governorship elections left much to be desired.
He said both elections were highly
militarised and were marked by malpractices.
Babatunde said the governorship
election in Bayelsa greatly fell short of democratic standards, adding the
result did not reflect the wish of the people.
”We are therefore calling for the
cancellation of the election as the result did not reflect the wish of
Bayelsans”, he said.
He said the conduct of both Kogi and
Bayelsa elections should compel the need to reform our electoral system for
better polls.
Babatunde added that if what happened
during both elections was anything to go by, INEC might not deliver credible
elections in 2023.
PDP GOVERNORS FORUM
IGR CONVERGE: ‘’THE IMPERATIVES OF DEVELOPING INTERNALLY GENERATED REVENUE
OPTIONS FOR STATE GOVERNMENTS’’
BY NELSON NSEABASI
Economic planning and development has been the bedrock of thriving
economies all over the world. The issue of income generation for a micro and
macro level is vital to the wellbeing of a particular economy, as it is with it
that development is planned.
In recent time, the nation Nigeria has witnessed a period of drastic
decline in the economy, leaving the price of stocks very low in the trade
market while unemployment rose to an alarming rate. Firms were forced to
relocate resources, scale back production and lay off employees. To salvage the
situation, it is recommended that government adopt strategic macroeconomics
policies.
Intermittently and constantly, there are series of discussions on how to
continually improve the economy, as against inflation and deflation. It
behooves of the leadership and persons responsible in various offices at
federal and state levels, to see to it that they generate a tangible percentage
of the resources required to meet their needs.
Internally Generated Revenue to the rescue. Internally generated revenue
(IGR) are those revenues that are derived within the state from various sources
such as taxes (pay as you earn, direct assessment, capital gain taxes, etc),
and motor vehicle license, among others. While the statutory allocation from
Federation Account, Value Added Tax constitute the external source.
Most states of the federation get the bulk of their revenue in form of
statutory allocation from the federation account to finance their expenditure
plan. State governments as the second tier of government in Nigeria derive its
revenue from various sources. However, it is worthy of note that sources of
revenue are by no means uniform among the states. States derive their revenue
depending on the resources available to them; this is generated to finance
either recurrent or capital expenditures.
IGR serves as an alternative source of income for an arm of government,
generating from its domain the resources to be used in augmenting cost of the
provision of basic social amenities and infrastructure.
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as Africa’s biggest party is
currently governing 16 out of the 36 states in Nigeria, ( Akwa Ibom, Rivers,
Abia, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Enugu, Ebonyi, Oyo, Imo, Sokoto,
Bauchi, Adamawa, Zamfara, Taraba) with some of these states being the highest
allocation receiving states. Of all the states controlled by the PDP, four (4)
of them are oil-rich states with high allocation and generated revenue.
It will interest you to know that asides Lagos, being the African
commercial nerve center, PDP governed states also top the chart of states with
high IGR in the country. So therefore, it is pertinent to have the PDP IGR
Summit, to discuss ways to optimize the use of revenue, also to brainstorm on
ways to increase the revenue of the other PDP states through valuable discourse
and partnerships.
The PDP Governors Forum, in their thoughtfulness, will be hosting the
2019 Edition of the IGR summit in Abuja. The expected participants are – State
Commissioners of Finance, Trade/Investments, Budget/Economic Planning, Tourism
and Local Governments/Chieftaincy Affairs; National/State Assembly Committee
Chairmen on Local Governments whose input will generally provide statutory and
parliamentary backing for the major determinants and considerations on IGR
Resources; SSAs on Trade/Investments, Economy, Finance and Revenue Generation;
LGA Chairmen/ Secretaries, as well as Heads of State Boards of
Internally-Generated Revenue and Senior Executives engaged in the Development
and Management of Rural Economy amongst others.
The high-profile summit has the Governor of Bayelsa State and Chairman
of PDP Governors Forum, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson as the Chief Host; the
National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus is the Special Guest of
Honour with the former Governor of Anambra State and Vice Presidential
candidate of the PDP, Mr. Peter Obi, as Chairman of the summit, to deliver the
keynote address on the theme titled, The Imperatives of Developing Internally-Generated
Revenue Options for State Governments in a Recessed Economy.
When these key players converge at the BON Hotel Stratton, (formerly
Protea Hotel) Asokoro, Abuja from November 27 to 28 ,discussions will feature
Key Resource persons and Finance Experts with tested knowledge and
transfer experience drawn from the IGR/Finance Sector. They will deliver
thought-provoking papers and case studies to address as well as proffer
enduring and sustainable solutions; aside crafting fresh ideas for the
development, generation and effective application of digital formats to
improve internally-generated revenue(IGR) strategies and platforms in the
states and local government areas(LGAs) in a Recessed Economy.
As states continue to incorporate a virtual workforce, it is important
that leadership encourages them to interact live, on a one-on-one setting with
participants from other states in the political community. It is one of the
best ways for states to engage with thought leaders and innovators to discuss
topics on a deeper and more personal level, the outcome and potential for those
involved become invaluable to improve their various economies.
All attendees will learn, discuss thoughts, network, share ideas, create
new ideas, and to ignite action. States with lower allocation can learn first
and from others how best to attack IGR in their respective states, also allow
states to share their progress, hurdles they’ve come across, and techniques in
solving them.
In summary, the imperatives of the PDP Governor’s Forum IGR summit
cannot be overemphasized, as it will spark new Ideas for Governors on how to
start rethinking the status quo, and for the attendees, they will confidently
return to their base equipped to tackle their challenges in creative and
innovative ways, inspired and encouraged to think outside the box, which leads
to successful outcomes for the state and in the long run, the country.
Nelson Nse Abasi writes from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Vision In Progress 