A Bayelsa based Anti-corruption group known as Bayelsa Youths Initiatives for Peace and Good Governance (YIPGG) has described as “treacherous” the allegations of financial misappropriation and high debt profile against the past administration of Gov.Seriake Dickson by the former Commissioner of Lands, Surv. Furoebi Akene in a leaked viral controversial telephone tape in the state.
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| H.E Henry Seriake, Image: Facebook |
The 15 minutes telephone conversation between the former Commissioner of Lands, Furoebi Akene and immediate past Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson which went viral on the social media bothers on allegation of high external debt burden, misappropriation and poor performance of the former administration.
The Group, the Bayelsa Youths Initiatives for Peace and Good Governance(YIPGG) while reacting yesterday to the development, described the allegation of Former Commissioner Furoebi Akene as full of treachery, selfishly motivated and filled with inaccuracy.
The Coordinator of the YIPGG, Comrade Clifford Ayakpo, in a statement made available to newsmen in Yenagoa, stated that though every Bayelsa Indigenes have the constitution rights to question activities of government and good governance, the claims of the former Commissioner, who served under the same administration he is accusing of fraud, is characterised with selfish motives, anger against those who stopped him from expected benefits while serving as commissioner and against his boss.
According to the statement, ” the question is this the episode 11 or the episode 12 of Akeni’s write up which made the former governor, to call and ask if really he was the writer of that episode or epistle it might be referred to as. It’s quite unfortunate Akene character to people of Bayelsa we know him, that he believes he’s more smarter, he’s more intelligent infact when he was made commissioner in the early days of Dickson’s government”
The group questioned the integrity of the Former Land Commissioner during the accused administration of the Dickson’s administration, “But for the records, why people should not take the claims of the former Commissioner serious. He was given a job to construct a road from his community Fininbri through Iniwari to Igeibiri connecting the Ayama/OporoZa communities in Southern Ijaw LGA road through Enoware axis of the road is being constructed by the State.”
“The project was given to the former lands Commissioner by the NDDC when Dr. Tarila Tebipa was the Chairman of the commission .
The first payment made was N2 billion naira and subsequent payments were made. To the surprise of all, Akene went and bought a locally made dredger and took it to his community where they brush somewhere with hands not even with bulldozers and sorts”
“They just brushed, cleared a road and then poured some sands that’s the end of the road up till today. A man who could deny his people, road access to his does not have any moral ground to challenge any leader of any kind in the history of his life because if he has done that road, people will say yes really he is a agent of development. “
” But for him to fail to do a road going to his community, it shows that Akene is an agent of underdevelopment because nobody will do road to your community, except you the people from that area are eager for development.
Akene is supposed to be the one who will take that job on his head to ensure that that road is constructed and implemented to the latter. “
” But up till date go and check the funibiri through inuari, obololi Ekebiri to Ayama road till today. This is the worst thing that has happened to the people of Boma because if that road was constructed I believe all the speed boats from down our communities, will always stop at Ofunibiri not coming to Yenagoa anymore but till date. “
The YIPGG accused of alleged diversion of funds many for multiple projects under the past administration,” So such a man, does not have any moral ground to question whatever anybody is doing, because the bible said it clearly remove the spec in your eye before you talk about another man’s own”
The group also accused the embattled Former Commissioner, Furoebi Akene of alleged intolerance against the former Surveyor-General of the Federation, Ebisinte Awudu, ” if people could remember, Surveyor Akene and Surveryor Awudu, the former Surveyor-General of the federation were school mates and when surveyor Awudu was made surveryor General of Bayelsa state, it was Akene that stampede him out of office with false protest and harassment. “
” Surv. Akene used his appointment under the same Dickson’s administration to stampede rather said he should have been and Akene did everything but to the surprise of all was that when Akene was made commissioner for lands and surveys under Sierake’s government.”
” I believe and we know on record, so many times the governor tried to settle the two of them but Akene said he can never work with Surveyor Ebisinte Awudu while Surveyor Awudu was surveyor general since in the 1997 till Akene was made commissioner. Nobody ever heard that sands were dropped in the Surveyor General office not until Akene became commissioner.”
” Every week in, Week out, there were a lot of stories from the surveryor general’s office. There was a time salts were poured round the whole of the surveyor general’s office and that Akene blamed it on the Surveyor General that he is the one doing charms. But by and large,
the man saw what was coming and he went to the governor and said look with the way Surveyor Akene is doing, I cannot stay in this office so am doing transfer of service from Bayelsa to the Federal”
” And the man successfully, with the help of some friends went to the federal and Akene said now he’s happy that his enemy, who is his school mate has left now he is in control what happened at the end of the day now today he’s lamenting and complaining the same man he wanted to remove by all means, became surveyor general of the Federation. A feet, he Akene, would not be able to attain as a surveyor.”
” So in all of this, it is crystal clear that Surveyor Akene is never an agent of development but he is an agent of underdevelopment. So we want to call on Bayelsans to disregard whatever claim of Surveyor Furoebi Akene that he now wants development for Bayelsa or he wants Bayelsa state to be developed. If you cannot do that for the little opportunity given to you for you to connect your community to the interland you cannot do it why are you coming to complain.”
” Everybody is yearning for such opportunities to come to their community at least have a road, they can drive to . If Akene had constructed that road, today so many communities in the Boma East of southern Ijaw, would have been accessible by road. But because of surveyor Akene’s failure and bad mind for underdevelopment. He embezzled the money with his cohorts. And TODAY, that road is not done and nobody ever believed that that road will ever come again.”
” So, for us as a people in Bayelsa, we should discontance whatever claims of Surveyor Akene who is now priding himself as a man after development, rather in the real sense of it he is a man who really wants Bayelsa not to be developed.So people should not look at Him as a saint but a man who could not use that kind if opportunity to connect his community to the inter land is not a man worth talking about, or he is not a man that is supposed to be seen as a development oriented man.”
” He is an agent of underdevelopment so people should disregard him but anybody that sees him, should ask him this question if really you are a development agent, why have you refused to do your community road”
On the high debt profile, the YIPGG faulted the former Commissioner over claims that the administration of Governor Seriake Dickson was the most indebted in the State, “On the issue of the debt burden, Akene lied. When Sylva took over from Dr. Goodluck jonathan, the debt burden on the state was N86 billion and we had N20 billion naira shares in oceanic bank bought by Goodluck administration”
“But the debt burden was N86 billion if people could remember, George fente addressed a press conference and gave this facts that were there. When Sylva took over, we all know that Sylva took some loans infact there was one that was resisted by so many stakeholders of Bayelsa state, when he wanted to take one hundred billion naira from the capital market where a lot if stake holder wrote to the then vice president and president that he should not be allowed but by at large, he was given and several other loans, were taken.”” Bayelsa I believe and know, before Sierake Dickson came into office, the debt burden on Bayelsa loans alone was over a hundred billion that is a fact that anybody that knows can check. Then if they are finding it difficult, let them give and look at the financial report lead by Timi Alaibe okoye and others an committee, was set up to look at those issues and if you look at that report you will see d records if loans and liabilities that were left by the previous administration before the Sierake government took over.”” So as far as am concerned, he’s economical with the truth and that all the facts given by surveyor Akini are false because we know what had happened. Let him not think that in Bayelsa people don’t keep records. No the records are there and the issues are before the public domain for everybody@1 to know tho we are all concerned about the debt burden of the state but hiding some, and putting all the blame on one person is never a good character and good conscience for anybody to display in this regard.”
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