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Tag: Mr Jonathan Obuebite

  • Dickson vows to end teachers’ plight in Bayelsa

    Dickson vows to end teachers’ plight in Bayelsa

    The Governor of Bayelsa State, Mr. Seriake Dickson, has pledged to end plight of primary school teachers including issues surrounding their backlog of unpaid salaries.

    The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Jonathan Obuebite, in a statement issued on behalf of the state government, said the governor had demonstrated his zeal to permanently tackle the problem by setting up a committee to resolve the crisis.

    He said the governor had also ordered immediate release of funds to augment the payment of the teachers’ February salaries.

    Obuebite said an agreement had been reached between the government’s team and the State Wing Executive Council (SWEC) of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT).

    He said that Dickson was not happy with recurrent issues of non-payment of teachers’ salaries and had decided to work with the local government councils to permanently address the problem.

    Obuebite thanked the headmasters of the various primary schools in the state for their active participation in the just-concluded two days workshop on preparation of vouchers for monthly payment of salaries. 

    He, however, lamented that the NUT Chairman and Secretary were working against various reforms in the sector.

    He said the government had been vindicated by its earlier allegations that the chairman and secretary were being used as tools by the opposition to destabilise the operations of the government.

    Obuebite attributed irregularities in the monthly payment of salaries to the recession in the country saying the problems would soon be over.

    He said: “However, it is wrong for any right-thinking individual to be playing politics with the issue of payment of salary. It has to do with lives and the wellbeing of the citizenry.

    “The Chairman and the Secretary of the union, instead of facing the reality and addressing the issue on ground are playing politics with the issue that affect their members.

    “As responsible and responsive leaders, they ought to know that payment of primary school staff is the sole responsibility of the local government authorities as clearly stated in the 4th schedule paragraph 2a of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 

    “However, in spite of the constitutional provision and the National Education policy, the present administration because of its passion for the sector from inception after declaring the state of emergency took over the burden of the payment of primary school staff by taking 80% and later 60% of the entire salary burden of primary education. 

    “This is in spite of the provision of infrastructure for both primary and secondary schools in the state, which as at the last count is above N50 billion”.

  • How we spent N14.5bn Paris Club refund – Bayelsa

    How we spent N14.5bn Paris Club refund – Bayelsa

    The Bayelsa State Government, Monday, gave an account of how it spent first tranche of N14.5b Paris Club refund.

    The Commissioner for Information, Mr. Jonathan Obuebite, said the government used chunk of the money to pay salaries in excess of 60 per cent agreement governors had with the Federal Government.

    He said over 60 per cent of the money was used to pay outstanding salaries of two full months out of the arrears owed workers by the government.

    “More than 60 per cent was used to pay salaries. Out of the 14.5bn we received, N1.3bn was for the local government. We were left with N13.2bn out of which over N7bn approximately N8bn on salaries which was more than 60 per cent”, he said.

    He said the rest of the money was channeled to ongoing projects in the state adding that the ongoing construction airport terminal, Bayelsa Palm-Elebele dual carriage way and the Ox-Bow Lake Pavilion benefitted from the funds.

  • Bayelsa dismisses rumoured review of Supreme Court’s ruling

    Bayelsa dismisses rumoured review of Supreme Court’s ruling

    • Says APC, Sylva planning to create confusion

    The Bayelsa State Government, on Tuesday, dismissed a speculation of an ongoing review of a Supreme Court’s judgement in the governorship electoral case between the incumbent Governor Seriake Dickson and Chief Timipre Sylva.

    The state has been unsettled by a widespread rumour that the apex court was about reviewing the judgement, which was delivered in favour of Dickson, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the concluded poll.

    Promoters of the speculation were said to be basking in unfounded claims that the review was designed by the court to overrule itself in favour of Sylva, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), an order his swearing-in on Thursday.

    Following the development, the government in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information, Mr Jonathan Obuebite, described the speculation as a complete falsehood.

    Obuebite said: “Our attention has been drawn to rumours making the rounds that the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last governorship election, Chief Timipre Sylva is due to be sworn in this Thursday based on a phantom Supreme Court decision.

    “Ordinarily we would have ignored this latest falsehood and chicanery by the APC but because it is intended to throw the state into confusion and undermine the current peace, we are unequivocally clearing the air.

    “First we want to dismiss the strange story as it is a complete fiction that exists only in the dubious imagination of the originators. It has become very clear that the APC and it’s agents feed fat on deceit.

    “The landmark judgment of the Supreme court on November 8, 2016, was very clear in affirming the election of Governor Henry Seriake Dickson.  All seven justices that sat on the case were unanimous in their judgment and we have copies of it especially the lead judgment”.

    The commissioner said the promoters of the report were trying to woo gullible Bayelsans to gather somewhere and give a historic welcome to Sylva “who is planning to visit the state openly for the first time after he was roundly defeated”.

    “Their intent is also to attract cheap publicity through the planned stage managed reception and at the end‎ tell Sylva that he is still on ground when in actual fact he is not.

    “Thirdly, having exposed the reason for the rumour we call on security agents in the state to go after those behind it and ensure they are dealt with accordingly. This way the peace of the state will be maintained and never again will anyone or group ‎attempt to carryout such mischief.

    “We also call on Bayelsans not to allow themselves to be used by cohorts of Sylva for what is completely nugatory.  Any call to gather anywhere including the Port Harcourt International Airport should be completely ignored.

    “Lastly we want to emphasis that as a government that has sworn to protect the lives, property and integrity of her people, no amount of political brinkmanship‎ and unbridled offensive cum attack will make us poignant and distract us from our mandate, which is the thrust we have with our people”, he said.

  • Diversification: Fed Govt explores non-oil resources in Bayelsa

    Diversification: Fed Govt explores non-oil resources in Bayelsa

    The Federal Government has launched a programme to identify and explore other mineral resources besides crude oil in Bayelsa State as part of its policy of diversifying the economy.

    A team from the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) was in the state, yesterday, to assess and evaluate the availability of non-oil minerals and reach agreements for their development.

    The RMAFC’ Team on Nationwide Monitoring Exercise on Royalties led by a Director in the commission, Chief Sanyon Omiri, met with the Deputy Governor of the state, Rear Admiral John Jonah (retd) to discuss modalities for the exploration.

    Omiri noted that since the beginning of the economic recession, the non-oil sector accounted for 50 percent of the monthly revenue accruing to the federation account.

    He said following the implementation of the diversification policy the sector would contribute more in the nearest future.

    He lamented that Bayelsa got a paltry sum of N1.2million as its share of 13 per cent derivation from the non-oil sector.

    “Bayelsa currently occupies the 36th position on the table of non-oil remittance to the Federation Account, base on June allocations”, he said.

    According to him the state could move up to an appreciable position and increase its share of the 13% derivation from non-oil revenue if all leakages were blocked with illegal miners captured into the tax net.

    He said that the team would verify and ascertain all the mining companies, number and duration of mining leases issued to each operator, and determine means of increasing revenue generation from mining and solid mineral exploration.

    He said: “We are highly endowed with many untapped mineral resources, especially Bayelsa. But with this our exercise, I can assure you that we will put things in the right direction.

    “Bayelsa is endowed with good sand, clay and many other resources. With this our verification, many minerals will be determined.”

    In his remarks, Jonah who said the government was excited at the ongoing verification described it as a step in the right direction.

    He asked the team do a thorough job, noting that if properly conducted, the exercise would provide a viable alternative source of revenue to the state.

    He said that every state is endowed with mineral resources, adding that the current economic recession was biting harder because of a long period of overdependence on revenues accruing from the oil sector.

    He said there had been a lack of political will to explore and exploit other natural endowments, including agriculture to boost the nation’s economy.

    Assuring the team of the government’s support, Jonah urged its members to engage the appropriate government ministries, agencies, departments and other stakeholders in the exercise.

    He said: “Yes, it is true that Bayelsa State isn’t doing well in the non-oil sector. So they (RMAFC) are going to carry out an audit of what we have because some of the non-oil mineral resources they have in mind may be here and we may not be aware.
    At the federal level, the government is trying to get a consultant to work it out for the entire country.

    “I’m firmly of the belief that there is no land in Nigeria that has no minerals. It depends on how you maximise the exploitation of it. So, at the end of this exercise, this the team will tell us what we have and how we can get it out from the soil.

    “Just like the Federal Government, we also have an interest in taxes. We have a common interest, so we will certainly benefit from the exercise. But the extent of benefit is what I will not be able to define now”.

    Also, the Commissioner for Information, Mr Jonathan Obuebite, said if the team carried out their plans, it oils signal the seriousness of the Federal Government on diversification.

    He said developing other non-oil sectors would further create employment and reduce the problems of joblessness in the country.

    He said: “We are happy because the mission is to come and see the mineral resources we have in Bayelsa that can be explored to increase our revenue and contribute to national revenue.

    “If that is done it means that Nigeria is serious now to move out of total dependence on oil. We have the oil, but just like every other nations but, we should have alternative sources of revenue.

    “This, I think if properly done will lead to us having if possible 60 percent of resources from other sources to boost our economy and grow the system. Whenever a new mineral is discovered, employment is generated too. It will also address the case of unemployment”.