BAYELSA HAILS 2018 FISCAL INDEX REPORT, SAYS WE’VE SHAMED CRITICS

YENEGOA, Bayelsa, Nigeria – The latest report which placed Bayelsa State among the most fiscally stable states in Nigeria is a confirmation of the frugal nature of the Honourable Henry Seriake Dickson led administration, the State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, has said.

Bayelsa State came behind Rivers and Delta in the report, by BudgiT, a budget transperency advocacy group, entitled: “2018 State of States”, which was sponsored by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and launched on Tuesday in Abuja. The Commissioner in a statement said the new Fiscal Sustainability Index published by the group is a true reflection of how the government has managed its finances in the last six years. 

Iworiso-Markson while congratulating Governor Dickson for the feat, said unlike some other states, Bayelsa have revved up its internally generated income and slowed down on borrowing to fund key projects. 

He said the Bayelsa Government stated that the state clearly passed the assessment module of fiscal stability and ability to cover recurrent expenditure without borrowings. 

According to him, with the confirmation of the healthy financial profile of the state by no less a reputable and credible research agency like BudgiT, critics of the government can now bury their heads in shame. 

Iworiso-Markson particularly berated recent outburst by some leaders of the opposition in the state, who claimed that the government was on a borrowing spree, saying the latest report has portrayed the depth of their ignorance about the state finances.

He pointed out that those who are making unfounded allegations of financial recklessness against the government has forgotten that the Dickson administration is still repaying loans obtained by the previous government.

The Commissioner argued that rather than support Dickson to continue in his good works, they are shamefully making spurious and malicious claims, forgetting so soon how their profligacy and misrule took Bayelsa many years backward. 

Iworiso-Markson particularly called out Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, the Minister of State for Agriculture for his reckless remarks against the government, even when he has failed to attract a single project to Bayelsa State since his appointment. 

He said, “Nobody is taking the minister’s spurious allegations seriously because somebody with an analytical mind would know from the reports released by the Debt Management Office in September 2018, which provided in details the debt profile of all the states of the federation as of June 2018 which learly revealed that Bayelsa is one of the least indebted states in the country. 

“It is not in doubt that the Restoration administration ensured the repayment of debts incurred by the junior minister’s political godfather and leader, Chief Timipre Sylva, in addition to the steady execution of several big ticket projects across Bayelsa, including the Bayelsa International Cargo Airport”.