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Dear Editor,
If not that the Bayelsa Commissioner for
Information, Mr. Asara Asara was quoted
in the story which I read in The
Guardian of July 1, 2009 page 7, I would
have said that rumour mills have come
again. He was briefing the Press on
Monday June 29, 2009, regarding a
two-day Presidential visit that was
supposed to start the same day but was
suddenly cancelled.
Can one imagine that the sum of State
fund (N1.2billion) that was more than
enough for so many projects that would
have provided social and economic
benefits to the entire citizenry of
Bayelsa State was budgeted for the visit
of Mr. President? In his briefing, the
Bayelsa Information Commissioner
informed the Press that as a
matter of fact, the total sum of
N456million had already been disbursed
in cash to the various (sixteen)
committees set up for the presidential
visit. The release was done the last
working day to the visit – Friday June
26.
He informed that having postponed the
visit abruptly, at the instance of
Governor Sylva that rushed to Abuja to
see the President for a renegotiated
date which is yet to be made public. As
abruptly as the cancellation was, the
Commissioner shot himself at the foot by
denying that it was not cancelled
because of security reasons
but that “Governor Sylva had to, in
order to enable his government hold
meetings with recognized militants in
the State following Yar’Adua’s
proclamation of amnesty and
unconditional pardon to the militants”.
What was Yar’Adua coming to do: to
commission “some completed projects by
Sylva's government and lay the
foundation for the proposed Bayelsa
International Cargo Airport”? If Bayelsa
could budget N1.2billion for a
presidential visit, then imagine the
big-spender Akwa Ibom State that is
expecting a presidential visit this
July for the main purpose of
commissioning the controversial
(N6.8billion) rebuilt Governor’s Lodge?
Mr. President is warned of this wanton
waste and looting of the masses' (tax
payers) fund going on in his regime. The
masses are revolting and some of such
ways could be the kidnappings and
militancies.
Stella O. Bolokor
3 Randle Close
VGC, Lagos.
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