Account for N28bn LG refund, group tells Diri

A group under the auspices of the Concerned Labour Party Critical Stakeholders in Bayelsa State has urged the state government to account for the N28.16 billion refund that it allegedly accrued to the eight local government areas in the state.

The group also berated the Governor Douye Diri-led administration for its alleged refusal to conduct local government polls for the election of new council chairmen.

The leader of the group, Christopher Timi-Ogosi, said in Yenagoa that the figure was the cumulative of N3.52bn which each of the eight local governments received from the federation account as refund for subsidy and SURE-P withdrawals.

Timi-Ogosi, who is the LP chairmanship candidate for the Sagbama LGA, also appealed to the Federal Government to prevail on the Diri government to give account of the money.

According to him, the state government should account for the refund since there were no elected chairmen at the councils.

The PUNCH reports that the tenure of the last elected chairmen of the councils terminated on August 14, 2022, and they are currently being run by heads of personnel management.

He said, “Facts have also emerged that the federation account paid N3.52billion to each of the eight LGAs in Bayelsa State as refunds to local government councils on withdrawals for subsidy and SURE-P from 2009 to 2015.

“We, therefore, want the state governor in the spirit of transparency to tell us the whereabouts of the money meant for the development of the local government areas, as there are no elected chairmen.

“We also call on the Federal Government to prevail on the Bayelsa State government to account for the N28.16billion refund for the eight local government areas in the state for subsidy and SURE-P from 2004-2019.

“Lastly, we call for the conduct of local government election to enable the new chairmen access the funds to fast track development in the areas and we warn that any attempt not to give a level-playing field to all political parties and their candidates for the forthcoming local government election, will be resisted.”

(Punch)