Bayelsa State government has expressed worry over dwindling revenue allocations to the state from the Federation Accounts amidst rising oil prices at the international market.
The deputy governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo gave the indication while receiving a report from a 12-member committee set up last week to look into claims made by former councillors concerning unpaid allowances.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Doubara Atasi, Ewhrudjakpo also lamented the worsening inflation rate in the country that has escalated the cost of living to an unbearable level for the majority of the citizenry.
He queried the parameters currently being used by the Federal Government to determine allocations and maintained that revenues accruing to local councils and the state government have been on the decline in the face of increasing oil prices.
The downward trend, he noted, was making it difficult for both tiers of government in the state to carry out some of its obligations as and when due.
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Commenting on the report, Ewhrudjakpo commended the chairperson and members of the committee for carrying out their assignment thoroughly within the stipulated timeframe.
While promising to look into the report, he however stated that government might not be able to implement the committee’s recommendations hook, line and sinker, in view of the current financial realities facing the various councils.
His words: I want to thank you all for doing a good job within the one week that was given to you. We are going to peruse and comb through it with a final comb. If there are recommendations we need to make to the governor, we will do so and possibly get back to you.
“But part of your recommendations says the sum of N500,000 should be paid to each of the former councillors monthly beginning from August this year. This is going to be a little bit hard for the councils.
“For instance, Southern Ijaw has about 17 councillors, and so, if you multiply N500,000 by 17, that will amount to about N8.5m for that council. Sagbama council that has been on red will have to cough out about N7m and so on.
“We will call for a meeting with the chairmen to discuss possible ways of implementing your recommendations because the load is not actually that of the state government.
“While we will like to give a helping hand, we will not do so at our detriment because as we speak, the state government is even supporting some of the councils to pay salaries due to falling allocations.
“We have been experiencing a downward trend for reasons we don’t understand. Our crude oil prices are higher now but our allocation is getting smaller by the day. I don’t know the parameter they are using now.
“Clearly, what they are using is not in tandem with international standards. Our economy is continually nose-diving, our naira continues to depreciate and there is high inflation that is making things extremely difficult for Nigerians.”
Presenting the report, the chairperson of the committee, Ebiere Igodo-Adeh, disclosed that the various councils were owing about N2.5 million to each of the former councillors that served from 2013 to 2016.
According to Igodo-Adeh, the committee made two recommendations to the government, one of which, was the monthly payment of half a million to each of the former councillors by the eight councils for the entire backlog of allowances to be cleared in four months.
The second recommendation called on the state government to give its support to clear the debt in view of the current precarious financial situation of the local government councils in the state.
Igodo-Adeh, who is also the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Community Development, expressed gratitude to the government for giving them the opportunity to serve the state.
