ANGRY APC LAWMAKER DRAGS BAYELSA SPEAKER, 3 OTHERS TO EFCC ON FINANCIAL CRIMES - By Evans Tubonah

Hon. Israel Sunny Goli
Hon, Member Representing Brass
Constituency 1, Bayelsa State Assembly 

"It has become very urgent to checkmate this untoward financial recklessness being perpetrated against our client, you are therefore invited to use your good offices to properly investigate this matter with a view to bring the perpetrators to justice"
This is just a section of petition written to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC] against the Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Hon. Kombowei Benson and three other key officers of the State's Parliament by the Honorable Member Representing Brass Constituency 1  Hon. Israel Sunny Goli.
In the petition signed by the legal counsel to the coastal member of the Assembly, Ochu Chukuma Esq. calls  the attention of the anti-graft agency to a chain of financial irregularities and sharp practices allegedly perpetrated against the petitioner to the tune of over One billion Naira [N1bn].  Ochu Chukuma Esq. who listed the names of the Speaker:
*Hon. Kombowei Benson,  the Clerk of the House:
*Mr. Aaron Timiye, the Head of Accounts department
*Mr. Koroye and former Head of Accounts
*Mr. Thompson Tamaradubo states thus:
"It is pertinent to state that from 2015 till date the Speaker of the House of Assembly and his co-travelers in the disastrous financial misadventure had refused to pay his furniture allowance but appropriated the same for themselves. Sometimes in 2016 our client was deliberately left out of an approved trip of all members of the Assembly to attend the Commonwealth Parliamentary Assembly at Mauritius. While every member of the Assembly was paid, our client was refused payment and consequently the trip. The approved money ... was withdrawn and spent by the persons mentioned."
The legal counsel wrote thus:

Hon. Kombowei Benson
Speaker, Bayelsa State House of Assembly

"Sir,it is of paramount importance to state that the approved sum of money for members constituency tour during the annual assembly recess which money is usually paid to members' salaries accounts has never been paid to our client. This money was paid to the other members from the Assembly Sterling Bank and that of our client have been embezzled jointly by the aforementioned persons."
The petitioner went further to allege saying:
"While in June 2018, the approved N8,000,000.00 [Eight Million Naira] only usually paid as Constituency Office maintenance allowance to members was transferred from the
Assembly Sterling Bank Account to the Assembly Zenith Bank Account and paid to all the other members salaries accounts except that of our client. Most worrisome, Sir, within this month of August, 2018 our client was paid the sum of [Ten Million Naira] only as constituency Tour Allowance for annual Assembly recess.This money was consequently and surreptitiously reversed from our client's salary account on the request of the Accountant acting supposedly on the orders of the speaker of the Assembly.."
As a result of the development Hon. Israel Sunny Goli, according to the petition had approached the Speaker why he was denied his financial entitlements and privileges as a Law Maker at the state Assembly for so long, the Speaker was said to have linked the matter to what he called "Order from above":

" These acts and many more have been going on in the Assembly from inception and our client have drawn the attention of the Speaker to the anomalies but the same and all efforts by our client has been rebuffed without remedy, the Speaker citing "Order from above."  Consequent upon these issues raised, the petitioner had called on the EFCC to step in for investigations without further delay with a view to bringing offenders to face the law, hear this:
" It has become very urgent to checkmate this untoward financial recklessness being perpetrated against our client, you are therefore invited to use your good offices to properly investigate this matter with a view to bring the perpetrators to justice."
Meanwhile the Assembly had not reacted to the petition, all efforts to contact the Office of the Speaker for comment has not been successful.

MR. SPEAKER WHY DO YOU WANT LIFE PENSION FOR YOURSELF AND CRONIES, IS IT NOT FRAUDULENT? By Evans Tubonah

Kombowei Benson Speaker BYHA

Mr. Speaker Sir, it was not at all our intention, not the intention of this medium, The Golden Pen  Newspaper to peep into the kitchen or even parlor of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly to either discuss or ask questions about how the Honorable  Kombowei  Benson led  Legislature had set  tables, chairs and so on to run its affairs..
But today, as a matter of public interest it has become so important to our medium to call the attention of Mr. Speaker or the attention of the Assembly to a burning issue, which needs clarification without any further delay.
 Mr. Speaker,
It concerns the news making the rounds that the Bayelsa State House of Assembly Members have approved for themselves and former Speakers, former Deputy Speakers, former Legislators of Bayelsa including those who served in Rivers State before Bayelsa was created to pay to yourself and the aforementioned what is called pension for out going and out gone lawmakers. That you have already passed a bill called; "BAYELSA ASSEMBLY MEMBERS LIFE PENSION LAW" If this is not how you call it, you may give the correct way it is capped. Mr. Speaker, a careful look at the information on the Editor's table, clearly stated that your monthly take away, as pension payments as you leave the sacred floors to your home town or wherever you like to be, is going to be a whooping five hundred thousand Naira  [N500,000] a month times 12= N6,000, 000  while the deputy speaker is to collect two hundred thousand Naira [N200,000] times 12 months = N2,400,000 then the other twenty two members will receive as life pension benefit one hundred thousand Naira [100,000] each  = N2,200,000 a month times 12  months is too much. Put these together and you see the whooping amount of money the  Honarable Members of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly elected to represent our 24 Constituencies to make people oriented laws for good governance have in the eyes of the public connived to enrich yourselves in such a doubtful manner. Mr. Speaker, the controversial money making law, intended to swell the accounts of the Speaker, the deputy speaker and the rest of the Assembly members, according your law also include former Legislators of the State, including those who served in old Rivers State, so how much are we talking about a month, how much in 12 months and how much in ten years?
Mr. Speaker, you know, you don't need to be told that you are the Speaker of the Assembly, the number one man, you are also the number three man in the state, and you are well to do according to public knowledge and public perception, but if one would ask, what do you and your honorable members want to gain from the controversial law what is your answer, does it not look selfish and or fraudulent to you Mr. Speaker?

2019 BAYELSA GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION: SYLVA IS READY AS INEC ANNOUNCES NOV. 2 TIME TABLE -By Evans Tubonah

Chief Timipre Sylva

The former Governor of Bayelsa State, His Excellency Chief [Hon] Timipre Sylva is right now the first and only candidate for the November 2nd, 2019 Bayelsa State Governorship election.
The Electoral umpire, Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC], Tuesday evening, announced the schedule of the State's governorship election to hold on the above stated date.
This had placed Chief Timipre Sylva, former governor of the State and the State's leader of the All Progressive Congress [APC] becoming the first and only candidate of the Bayelsa gubernatorial race for 2019. Chief Timipre Sylva a patriotic Bayelsan citizen, whose vision for the development of the oil rich Niger Delta State, was tested and trusted, 2007-2011 by the people of the State. The  amiable and development oriented. Chief Sylva sought a second tenure ticket which he won landslide, but was denied by the powers that be then in the ruling party, PDP and the then Government.
The Okpoama Nembe born politician, Timipre Sylva a former Honorable member of the Rivers State House of Assembly in the 1980s under the platform of the National Republican Convention [NRC], one of  the vibrant young politicians of the Ijaw Ethnic Nation who performed creditably to the admiration of  the people of his Constituency.  This was the spring board for his rise from glory to glory in his political journey, thus climbing the ladder at various levels to becoming the Governor of Bayelsa State in the 2007 govdernorship race. Chief Sylva contested with then incumbent governor, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, with Chief Francis Doukpolagha and others. That election was won landslide by Governor Goodluck Jonathan, who was deputy governor to Chief Alasmieyeseigha, who became Acting Governor after Amamieyeseigha was impeached and became governor by the Acts of parliament upon which foundation he stood and contested the  governorship election and won land slide. It was an election that placed Chief Sylva 2nd and Doukpolagha 3rd.
It was so dramatic that, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP], Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua in their fatherly disposition, decided that Dr. Jonathan should leave Yenagoa to Abuja and be running mate to Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's presidential ticket, creating space for Chief Sylva who was the next on the list to take the governorship ticket.

Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi

Chief Sylva's emergence as governor of Bayelsa state was a welcome development to many across the state, in the Niger Delta and South-South geo-political zone and by extension across the country. Chief Sylva was a voice in the Governor's Forum of South-South and of Nigeria, when the former Governor of Rivers State, now, Minister of Transport, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi was Chairman of the Governor's Forum of Nigeria, and Bayelsa was a melting point  to visiting Governors, National Assembly members and other political heavy weights across the nation and the diaspora. The political history of Chief Sylva is so interesting, but not without challenging weathers, rough roads, not without curves and not without waves of the high seas of life. That should be the talk of another day.
The coming back of Chief Sylva, the Ajana 1 of Okpoama, the Opu Abadi 1 of Kolokuma, the Pigatin of Nembe, the Ikemba 1 etc is at the instance of his supporters
Why they want  him back is not unconnected the role he played single handedly took a bold initiative to convince President Umaru Musa Yar;Adua to grant amnesty to thousands of militants in the Niger

Delta Region to come out ofthe creeks and embrace, which made him a hero of the Niger Delta Governors for the sake of the amnesty deal.
It was on the 22nd of August 2009 that Sylva brought all the militants out of the creeks to the Isaac Boro Peace Park , where the deal was signed and sealed by the laying down of weapons, which endeared Sylva to the former militants till date,
Talking about the amnesty deal, "...Mr. Paul Eris popularly called Ogunboss said...the pioneering and heroic role of Sylva in initiating the amnesty and restoration of peace and security cannot be denied him. The programme which brought about empowerment of our youths must be credited to Sylva" he posited.

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