‘Bayelsa received N14.5b, not N24b Paris Club loan refunds’

Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa.

The Bayelsa State government has described as untrue, misleading and malicious, reports that it received N24 billion in the first sharing of Paris Club loan refund. The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Jonathan Obuebite made the clarification, while reacting to reports published by an online social media.

Obuebike urged the people to disregard the report, adding that the stories were the handiwork of mischief-makers, who take delight in spreading false rumours to the unsuspecting public.

The commissioner explained that the state received N14.5 billion in the first tranche of the refunds, out of which N1.3 billion was given to the local councils, leaving the state with N13.2 billion.

According to him, while most states did not disclose how much they collected, the Bayelsa government made its own public, in line with the transparency and accountability policy initiated by Governor Henry Seriake Dickson.

He urged the Federal Government to officially disclose how much each state received to avoid speculations.While stating that the state has not collected the second part as being speculated, he tasked the press and the general public to cross- check facts before publication.