Former member of the House of Representatives from Bayelsa State, Hon.
Warman Ogoriba, has been castigated as being “blinded by political
indulgence” to warrant his comments that the incumbent government in the
state have nothing to show for the money so far received from the
Federation Accounts.
The former lawmaker who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic
Party to the All Progressives Congress was quoted in a recent interview
that Governor Seriake Dickson should account for over N600 billion naira
said to have accrued to the state coffers and for which, according to
Ogoriba, “ there is nothing on the ground to indicate that the governor
had spent the money for the development of the state”.
But in a statement yesterday, the state government described Ogobia’s
remarks as “reckless political indulgence, uninformed and lacking in
facts” and as such misplaced. The statement issued by the Chief Press
Secretary to the governor, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, said it was extremely
disappointed with the former lawmaker for his poor understanding of the
workings of government, asking if Ogoriba was saying that in all these
years the government was not paying salaries or that he was blind to the
various “laudable and people-oriented” projects across the state.
Making further clarifications, the government noted that apart from paying
salaries for which Bayelsa State stands out as one of the few states in
the country that is not owing salaries to its workers, the government had
been consistent in servicing the debt burden of N330 billion it claimed to
have inherited from the Timipre Sylva administration.
“When the Restoration Government assumed the mantle of leadership on
February 14 2012, Bayelsa State ranked as one of the states with the
highest debt profile. Strange enough, a debt burden of N330 billion was
the albatross we have to shoulder. But in spite of paying salaries as at
when due, running an efficient government with unprecedented level of
infrastructural developments and various projects in all sectors of the
state economy, we have also been consistent in servicing the N330 billion
debt, now reduced to N90 billion because of the Dickson-led government’s
prudence and strict discipline in managing the finances of the state. As
at today, Bayelsa is one of the least indebted states in Nigeria which is
a credit to Dickson’s ingenuity in sound financial management. This
clearly contrasts sharply to Ogoriba’s crude remarks, struggling to
distort a glaring reality”, he stated.
The statement berated the former legislator for his alleged inability to
present a robust leadership while in the House of Representatives, stating
that it was the main reason why his years in the parliament were wasted
years because his constituency was shortchanged by his incapacity.
“It is unfortunate that we operate a system that allows all kinds of
characters to emerge through a loose political system but we must check
this porous system in order to avoid a situation whereby half-baked
individuals are made to take up positions that are clearly above their
level of reasoning and capabilities. From the utterances of Warman
Ogoriba, it is clear why the good people of Kolokuma Federal Constituency
are bemoaning the 8 wasted years of his representation. It is that sad for
Ogoriba’s kind of leadership”.