Bayelsa APC Chieftain, Dickson Disagree Over N15bn Flood Relief Fund

 

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State, Chief Bodi Arerebo, yesterday challenged the state governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, asking him to account for over N15bn he allegedly received from donors after the 2012 flood disaster in the state.
Arerebo, who Dickson’s kinsman, recalled that after the flood disaster, philanthropic individuals and organisations, including international donors, gave billions of naira to the

state for the resettlement of victims and rebuilding of structures.
He, however, expressed concern over the money, which he alleged must have been mismanaged, especially as the governor had yet to tell the people how the flood fund was spent.
Arerebo, who was addressing newsmen in Yenagoa, the state capital on Friday, insisted that there was nothing on ground to show that the money was used to rebuild damaged structures and resettle victims of the disaster.
He, therefore, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe how the money was spent by the Dickson administration.
The APC chieftain specifically mentioned multi-billionaires, such as Aliko Dangote and Wale Adenuga as some of the personalities who donated money to the state.
He said: “Since 1999, the PDP government has not provided good leadership for Bayelsa State. The case of current Governor, Seriake Dickson is the worst.
“Dickson has yet to tell Bayelsans how he spent the money for floods victims in the state. The state was ravaged by floods in 2013 and as a result, donations came from Nigerians and international donors to ameliorate the sufferings of the victims.
“But from the look of things, the governor ate all the money. We do not even see what he used all the money to do. He should come and tell Bayelsans how that money was spent. We are calling on Buhari to investigate the money Bayelsa got from international and local donors for the flood victims. Let him come and tell us how he spent the money”.
Speaking on the forthcoming governorship election, Arerebo said that the APC was ready to sweep the Peoples Democratic Party and Dickson out the Government House, adding that the PDP had failed the people.
He noted that the APC would provide the needed change for the people, asserting that the defeat of the PDP was imminent.
“By the next governorship election, APC will win in Bayelsa State. We will win because we have every machinery on ground for us to win”, he said.
He also claimed that the leader of the party in the state and former Governor, Timipre Sylva, has promised not to join governorship race.
He said: “Our leader, Timipre Sylva, confided in some of us that he was not going to run. We know that the candidate we are going to field for the election will be a person of impeccable character.
“We know that by the time we present him to Bayelsans, they will appreciate and love him. By February 14, 2016, we will be in the Creek Haven (Bayelsa Government House)”.
Arerebo said the gale of defections that had hit the PDP in recent times was an indication that the party was finished.
But reacting to the allegation, Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters, Mr. Fyneman Wilson, berated Arerebo, saying his allegation was frivolous and fallacious.
Wilson said: “We have a governor who is very careful in the management of resources. If such funds were sent, he would put it back to direct project execution for the purpose of the floods.
“You are aware that there was a flood management committee that was put in place in this state. They did a lot of remedial work. In Sagbama and many other places, the areas the water passed through to cause floods were blocked.
“The governor did not tamper with that money and such money did not come to this state. The Federal Government did not give such money to the state”.