Bayelsa Acknowledges FG’s N27b Refund, Begins Roads Rehabilitation

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Bayelsa State Government has admitted the receipt of N27.5b as part of the Federal Government’s refund for projects it earlier executed.

Governor Douye Diri stated this during the monthly Transparency Initiative briefing for November and December 2020.

Diri explained that the State Government only received N27.5b from the Federal Government and not N38b as widely speculated.

Represented by his Technical Adviser on Treasury and Accounts, Timipre Seipulo, said that the Federal Government structured the refund process such that states would have to wait for between four and five years before they could access the full refund.

He said that for states that want their refunds, the full amount has to be discounted and as such the N27b government announced represented the discounted amount from the N38b.

“Actually, Federal Government’s arrangement is such that states have to wait for three to four years to get refunded, otherwise the full amount is discounted at current rate.

“And considering the some factors and time value for money, you have to discount your fund and collect your money, otherwise you wait for four years to collect it. So, the N27b represents the discounted amount, which the state received from the Federal Government,” he said.

While giving a breakdown of income and expenditure for November and December, he explained that the refund and other money accruing to the state had spurred the government to commence works on rehabilitation of critical infrastructure in the state.

Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Moses Teibowei, restated Governor Diri’s commitment to the completion of all abandoned road projects in the state.

He stated this when he and his Information, Orientation and Strategy, counterpart, Ayibaina Duba, inspected some road projects for which the state government had mobilised contractors to site.

Some of the projects are, expansion of the Tombia-Etegwe Roundabout, failed portion of Opokuma Road, the Yenagoa-Oporoma Expressway, maintenance of the Alamieyeseigha Road and other internal roads in Yenagoa.

On the Tombia Roundabout expansion, Teibowei explained that as part of efforts build a befitting city, the state government took over and beautify it.