It was a bizarre tale at a mega rally in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, when it was revealed how the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Timipre Sylva, ruined the state economy through massive corruption and abuse of power as governor between 2007 and 2011.
The revelation came from the Secretary of Bayelsa Solidarity Forum, Comrade James Ebipade, who led the forum to the rally where over 400 other non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) gathered to raise awareness on why Sylva’s bid to return to power should be rejected by the people.
The rally, tagged “Operation Reject Sylva and APC”, was staged under the banner of the Save Bayelsa Movement.
In a statement released at the end of the rally, Ebipade revealed that between 2007 and 2011 when Sylva was governor, he received a total of N708, 895, 925 as allocations from the Federation Account.
This amount, he stated, was not inclusive of the bond and several loans his administration got but never utilized as expected.
In the statement, Ebipade also revealed that in the period under review, the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state stood at N22,02 billion, raising the total accruals to the Sylva administration to a staggering N780,915, 925.
Out of this amount, it was further revealed, only N68 billion was spent on capital expenditure just as it was claimed by the forum that in spite of the huge resources, there was nothing to show for the allocations received as well as the bonds and loans.
“There was absolutely no accountability”, he stated.
The forum bemoaned the financial recklessness of Sylva, noting that recurrent expenditure under him as governor was N648,512, 509, which it claimed indicated that the former governor spent less than N60 billion for capital projects.
In the light of the revelations, the forum said it would be a disaster if Sylva was allowed to return to the Government House and why the various NGOs had to come together to sensitize the general public on the inherent evils of the APC’s candidate’s agenda which must not be allowed to hold in the state.
“Bayelsans naturally have the right to wonder and ask whether this is the kind of change Sylva and APC want to bring back into government in the state. And if not, whether the welfare of Bayelsans is of no consequence to them? Otherwise, why must Sylva now seek to return Bayelsa to the days of the locust?”, the forum asked.
Ebipade opined that the situation was so bad that when the incumbent governor, Seriake Dickson, took over the mantle of leadership, the state appeared like a waste land with the added burden of having to spend a huge part of the state resources to service inherited debts.
“So why does Sylva still want to come back? Why does a man who was not thought fit to be a minister think he is fit to be governor of Bayelsa State? Does he think Bayelsans are such gluttons for punishment or are possessed of such short memories that they will allow him to further inflict on them those regrettable wasted years?”, the forum stated.
