At a time when the cost of living is at an all-time high, flooding is wreaking havoc and the health care sector is deteriorating, Governor Douye Diri has approved a N45 billion contract for a new secretariat complex in Bayelsa State.
While revealing this on Friday during its executive council meeting, the governor said the proposed nine-storey secretariat was to fulfil workers’ request for more working space to accommodate civil servants.
In the words of Ebiuwou Koku-Obiyai, Bayelsa’s commissioner for information, the new secretariat will make workers happy and the state will look more beautiful in the end.
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After Diri and the commissioners for works and information had spoken about the proposed building, a video of the council meeting (posted on the X page of Africa Independent Television (AIT)) revealed an interesting update.
The update by Ebieri Jones, the Commissioner for Industry, Trade and Investment, included a loan scheme for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Bayelsa.
Jones explained that the scheme would be jointly financed by the Bank of Industry (BOI) and the state government, with both parties contributing N2 billion each.
In comparison to the proposed N45 billion for the new secretariat, the N4 billion allocated for SME loans is a paltry sum.
Whether it is aimed at flood mitigation or strengthening the health sector, N45 billion could make a significant impact in Bayelsa.
BAYELSA HIT BY FLOODS ANNUALLY
In 2022, Bayelsa was among the states hardest hit by floods, with many residents displaced and forced to live on bridges because the state government had failed to make provisions to camp internally displaced persons (IDPs).
In January 2023, the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMET) predicted a high possibility of heavier floods, with Bayelsa being one of the most affected states. Shockingly, in September 2023, ICIR reported the state government’s inadequate flood preparedness despite prior warnings from NiMET.
On September 6, the Federal Government listed Bayelsa as one of the seven states likely to be worst hit by a five-day rainfall that may lead to flooding.
One week later, flooding struck some communities in the state. According to reports, heavy rains between Tuesday and Wednesday caused flooding in Yenagoa, the state capital, and several neighbourhoods were submerged in water.
Considering that Bayelsa’s proximity to the sea makes it an easy receiver of flooding, the state government must take decisive steps to mitigate this recurring natural disaster.
Governor Diri called on the federal government, on Friday, to dredge rivers and build dams to address the issue. However, there’s little to no update on what his administration is doing to tackle the issue in his state.
In March, Omuso Wilson, the Director General of the Flood and Erosion Control Agency, said that inadequate funding was the primary challenge hindering the agency’s operations and preparedness to address future flooding. Yet, the state government can spare N45 billion for a building.
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THE HEALTH SECTOR CRIES FOR HELP TOO
In April, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) disclosed that about 20,000 children in Bayelsa did not have access to immunisation in the riverine communities of the state. To strengthen immunisation coverage and primary care delivery services in these communities, UNICEF donated six new water ambulances that month.
Water ambulances. Photo Credit: UNICEF/Fashina
FIJ conducted an online search to determine the cost of ambulance boats, or water ambulances, and found that they could be priced at $23,900 or more, depending on the specifications.
When converted at the current exchange rate of N1,639.10 to $1, a water ambulance priced at $23,900 amounts to N39,174,490.
If N45 billion is allocated to purchasing these ambulance boats at the cost of N39,174,490 each, the Bayelsa government would be able to acquire 1,148 boats and will still be left with a whopping N27.6 million.
The post Gov Diri to Spend N45b on Secretariat While Flood Batters Bayelsa Yearly appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.