Recently during the 139th session of the state’s Executive Council meeting in Government House, Yenagoa, Bayelsa Governor, Senator Douye Diri took a swipe at the opposition in the state, describing them as people who are” blind, deaf and without sense of judgment”.
The Governor’s caustic remarks were in reaction to the spiraling, debilitating criticisms against his administration by some of the indigenes of the state.
The criticism had heightened as the Governor traveled to the United States during the last United Nations General Assembly, UNGA. During the outing, the Governor bagged an award as the best performing Governor by the African Leadership Magazine and was also honored with the honorary Citizenship of the State of Georgia.
Armed with all this ‘paraphernalia’, Governor Diri had returned with his entourage with aplomb, expecting a rousing, heroic welcome.
But instead, he was confronted with a heap of putrid remarks and diatribes about his profligacy and poor governance by some members of the state.
So he used the occasion of the State Executive Council meeting to address some of the issues which had gained currency and cast mud on his administration while he was away.
With that it was believed that the Governor had settled the minds that were agitated. But the critics were not relenting as they dug into their arsenal once again accusing the Governor of reckless spending on vehicles and gadgets.
This time around, the Governor didn’t think it noble to enter the trenches to join issues with his critics, he deployed his aides who of course must justify why they are around the Chief Executive.
So on Saturday, October 19,2024, two of the aides released statements almost simultaneously, deodorizing the filth which the opposition had thrown up.
First was the Technical Assistant on General Duties, Mr Ogidi Bara, who labored to push that the governor had remained focused on the development of Bayelsa.
Bara said the state government, under Diri’s leadership earmarked N700 million to purchase 50 torches and 100 walkie-talkies for personnel of local vigilante group, known as Bayelsa Community Safety Corps.
He said the government also allocated N4.6 billion to purchase 20 Hilux and Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) and another N1.2 billion for government printing machines.
According to him, currently In Bayelsa, there is a huge paradigm shift in entrenching transparency and good governance since Sen. Douye Diri took over as governor.
He said the transparency indicators in terms of budgetary discipline, setting priorities right in project execution and putting in place institutional frameworks were some of the selling points which informed Diri’s re-election for a second tenure.
Bara maintained that those who had followed Diri’s administration, known as the “Prosperity Government” with keen interest, would appreciate the fact that he had developed a model in confronting the state’s developmental challenges.
“Against this backdrop, myself and other young Bayelsa people will be visiting various projects sites being constructed by the prosperity led administration of Sen. Douye Diri.
“The visit will further expose the extraordinary achievement and giant strides by the state helmsman in repositioning various sectors of the state for improved development.
“With this well meaning young Bayelsans who believe in the growth of the state will converge to disprove critics and haters of the policies and programmes of the prosperity administration.
“It is further worthy of note that, Diri’s unique personality, humility, focused nature and peaceful disposition is re-writing Bayelsa State’s political story.
“He is like a dove, a symbol of peace. Immediately he took over as governor of the state, there was no doubt he came with a clear vision of a security plan that has ensured peace and tranquility,” he said.
He however described the news on social media and some “unidentified” blogs sponsored by the opposition party in the state, as misleading and fake news.
Bara, who expressed surprise at the “failed propaganda move sponsored by some failed politicians”, urged Bayelsans to keep faith with the governor, whom he said had shown commitment to human capital, infrastructural and economic development of the state.
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On his part, the Director General on New Media, Dr. Kola Oredipe in a.release entitled “Budget Figures: Tracka, SaharaReporters Goofed, Bayelsa Govt Demands Apology”, expressed “shock and concern” over what he referred to as “false report published by online media outfit, SaharaReporters, about the state’s outgoing year’s budgetary estimates”
Oredipe said the report, which SaharaReporters claimed emanated from Tracka, a civil society budget monitoring organization, is a “bouquet of falsehood and misrepresentations”.
“Some gullible individuals, including a well-known presenter with a broadcast channel, who obviously easily believed the report, have posted online comments that are outrightly objectionable”, Oredipe pushed.
The DG said all the SaharaReporters and Tracka did amounted to spreading fake news.
“Tracka and SaharaReporters claimed that the Bayelsa State Government earmarked a huge sum of N700 million for the purchase of only 50 Torch-lights and 100 Walkie-Talkies in its 2024 budget.
“The state’s 2024 Approved Budget is a public document. To promote public accountability, the State Government submitted its consolidated budget document to the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) in an Excel format.
“Sadly, in their haste to do mischief and pour dirt on the government, the purveyors of the fake news did not do a proper check on the items under the appropriate sub-head on the Excel document. If Tracka or even SaharaReporters did, they would have seen that there were other items apart from torchlight and walkie-talkie on that sub-head
“For the avoidance of doubt, the listed security items in the approved budget estimates of N700 million do not only cover the purchase of torch-lights and walkie-talkie but included items as 2,000 heated bullet-proof vests, 500 units of pepper sprays, 500 Biometric Scanners, 200 Tasers, Metal Detectors, Firearms among other items.
“The other figures quoted in the publication for purchase of Hilux vans and Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) as well as purchase of state-of-the-art Printing Press for the state newspaper corporation are duly provided for in the 2024 budget and should not be a subject of controversy”
The DG demanded a retraction of the report by SaharaReporters and an unreserved apology from it and Tracka, stressing that “the attempt to twist the contents of a public document is purely an irresponsible act that is very condemnable”.
He maintained that the Governor Douye Diri administration had so far displayed a high level of transparency and open governance that had endeared him to people of the state and others who followed its performance since February 2020 that it assumed office.
” The government remains committed to the ideals of good governance, transparency, accountability and peaceful co-existence.”
