TASK FOR THE BAYELSA FLOOD COMMITTEE

The Hon..Henry. Seriake Dicksom administration is second to none if the subject matter has to do with the constitution of committees to handle administrative matters. Thanks to the 2012 flood that ravaged the country including Bayelsa State, which led to the constitution of the State Flood Committee led by the deputy governor of the State, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah Rtd. That committee was pregnant with reports that caused the state governor to interject with threats against some government officials especially political appointees to shun corruption or face unpleasant consequences.
That committee managed to scale through the challenges, but not without some worrisome allegations of hording some  relief materials by those entrusted with distribution, who allegedly used their private homes and secret places as ware houses, while some opportunist who were not affected by the flood cashed in and swelled the number of victims at the few Rehabilitation Camps in the state capital,Yenagoa  and in some communities. The State government soon after the flood disbanded the camps which victims described as too abrupt and unfair.
Addressing the press in a media briefing. the deputy governor of the state, Gboribiogha John Jonah said government notice that the camps were being hijacked by some hoodlums consequent upon which the need to close down the camps became imperative. At that meeting the deputy governor gave kudos to the management committee for a job well done and the media for support.
At the exit of the deputy governor. that top military officer, General Awoye Andrew Azazi now late,  became the successor as Chairman to the Committee. Azazi died few days after his appointment in an aircraft disaster. But before his death some donations were said to have been made to the committee out of which the Globacom donation of Five Hundred Million Naira was of public knowledge,

then at that freak of circumstance, the state governor had to re-organize the committee, this time with Chief Francis Doukpola as the new Chairman, but since Doukpola took over the office total news black out had prevented the ordinary man in the streets of Yenagoa and the world from knowing what the committee is doing with huge sums of money in her coffers.except some closed door meetings at th Izon
wari. The worrisome aspect of the whole issue is that the rains had started, but the Flood Committee is not at site to assess the the flood that had taken over some areas in the state capital especially at construction sites of Julius Berger where road construction without drainage had sent people packing out of their homes.
If the State Flood Committee is alive, with all the donations intact, this is the time to give account of their stewardship.