Dickson’s Aide In N180 Million Scandal

Special Adviser to the governor of Bayelsa State on Finance and Accounts, Mr. Timipre Seipulo may soon be guest of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) in respect of a N180million, being three months outstanding salaries of staff of the state environmental sanitation authority.
Rising from an enlarged congress of the Medical and Health Workers Union, Bayelsa State Environmental Sanitation branch in Yenagoa, the aggrieved staff threatened to drag the special adviser to the anti-graft agency over the non-payment of their outstanding salaries.
They disclosed that the said N180 million was meant to offset salaries of the workers after they were properly cleared by staff verification panel between 2009 and 2010, notig that during the verification exercise, the salaries were domiciled in Access Bank.
The workers accused Seipulo of transferring the said money to Sterling Bank without recourse to staff of the authority.
The union said they had written several appeal letters to Seipulo regarding the money without positive response.
Chairman of the union, Walter Nabena told journalists after the meeting that several appeals were made to the SA on Finance and Accounts to effect payment without results.
He said the workers have been pushed beyond limit for over five years and it was no longer pleasant.
Contacted on phone by our correspondent in Yenagoa, Seipulo, who is out to Abuja on official assignment, replied through a text message”the matter you mentioned to me on phone this afternoon is something that happened prior to this government, probably in 2010.

“If you look at the report of the Chief Alaibe financial review committee in 2012, there is a section that talked about salaries that were stopped by the Sylva Govt and how they were spent based on approvals made by HE Timipre Sylva, the then governor.
“I am not aware that those withheld salaries were handed over to the Dickson government. I will advise you to check for that report and read the section relating to this matter.
“Even if such monies were handed over to the Dickson government, I may not be in the best position to explain as I was never a signatory to those accounts.
“The accountant general’s office should be better placed to explain if any such money was brought forward and how it was spent. You may also check up the handover notes in 2012 to see if any of such funds were passed on to the Dickson administration.”