There are reactions from the people as the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) in Nigeria has shown that Bayelsa State has received from the federal allocation, a total of N161.09 billion from January to August this year.
This is outside Internally Generated Revenue and other incomes accruing to the state on a monthly basis.
According to a financial document obtained from FAAC, the oil rich state received the sum of N10.30 billion as Federal allocation for the month of January, 2022.
In February this year, Bayelsa raked in N13.05 billion from FAAC while she got N15.21 billion for the month of March.
Still in the year under review, the governor Douye Diri led prosperity government did prosper indeed with the receipt of N22.206 billion for the month of April.
In May, Bayelsa maintained a steady increase in federal allocation as the state received the sum of N23.45 billion while she received a better package of N24.68 billion for the month of June.
The government also smiled to the bank with a more appreciable receipt of N25.46 billion from the federal allocation account in July just as the state got a whopping sum of N26.74 billion in August.
This brought the total receipt from FAAC to Bayelsa State to the sum of N161.09 billion this year so far which shows that the state received an average of 20.13 billion per month.
Expectedly, Bayelsans have been reacting to the development as to whether there are corresponding developmental projects when viewed against the backdrop of the funds that have accrued to the state within the period under review.
A rights activist and member of the Civil Liberties Organization (CLOs), Comrade David West, while speaking to our correspondent, described the improved federal allocation to the state as a welcome development.
The social critic, however, expressed reservations, asserting that the development on ground is not commensurate with the funds received so far.
His words: “l will say that I am not satisfied, neither will l say that I am impressed with the figures given and the projects on ground that I have seen.
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“Except the governor will tell us that all the money received from FAAC as mentioned or half of it has been used to pay workers’ salaries. But to say that the N161 billion was invested into infrastructural projects, l have not seen that.
“There is a serious need for Mr. Governor to set aside a special day to brief the people, so far so good, on the N161 federal allocation to the state for the past eight months. The people want to know how it was expended and the projects it was tied to.
“It is our right to know. The State House of Assembly too should also assist the people by inviting the Commissioner for Information and the Technical Adviser to the governor on Treasury to appear before the state Assembly to explain to Bayelsans how the N161 billion was spent.”
