The Bayelsa State Government has made a passionate appeal to the Federal Government to commence its social security programmes in the state, saying three years after the commencement of the conditional cash transfer scheme, the state is yet to benefit.
Governor Douye Diri made the plea when the Federal commissioner in charge of the South at the Code of Conduct Bureau, Abuja, Dr Emmanuel Attah, paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House, Yenagoa.
Diri, who was represented by his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, noted that none of the key Federal Government’s interventionist programmes including the conditional cash transfer and school feeding schemes had yet to take off in the state.
He wondered why states in the South-South where over 60 per cent of the resources used in executing the programmes were yet to benefit significantly almost three years after their commencement.
The governor disclosed that Bayelsa has only received 1800 bags of rice from the Federal Government as palliative measure for the hardship following the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also called on the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) and its partners to expedite action on the completion of the 200-bed Infectious Diseases Control Hospital in Igbogene, a suburb of Yenagoa.
He expressed concern that nothing tangible seems to have been done on the site since after its foundation was laid some two months ago.
According to the governor, the hospital when completed and put to use would not only benefit Bayelsans but the entire South-South region and the country in general.
He assured the Code of Conduct Bureau team of the state government’s readiness to partner the agency in promoting transparency and the fight against graft.
His words, “For all the three thematic areas you have come to monitor concerning what the Federal Government is doing here, I want to say it’s almost zero.
“The school feeding programme and even the conditional cash transfer are yet to take off in Bayelsa State. All we hear is that they are collecting data and we are even encouraging them to go round to collect the data.
“So we actually want you to help us talk to the Federal Government that Bayelsa and indeed all the South-South states deserve more than what they are doing for us.
“Even in the area of COVID-19 palliatives, we have not received any appreciable support. But let me acknowledge the fact that AGIP Company and its partners have come to do groundbreaking for a 150 to 200-bed health facility here. But we also want to appeal that they should add more speed because already we are almost outstretched with the facilities we have in our isolation centre,” he said.
Earlier, the leader of team and Federal commissioner, South-South, Code of Conduct Bureau, Abuja, Dr Attah, said they were in the state to ascertain the take-off and impact of the Federal Government’s social security programmes.
Dr Attah, who listed the programmes to include COVID-19 palliatives, conditional cash transfer and homegrown school feeding, solicited the state government’s assistance in building a befitting office accommodation for the Bureau in the state.
