by Doris Fagha, Yenagoa
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the Niger Delta Herald, Mr. Francis Dufugha, has alleged that the administration of Governor Douye Diri is in breach of the Bayelsa State Income and Expenditure Transparency Law, 2012.
Dufugha, in a press statement issued in Yenagoa, said the development raises serious concern about respect for the rule of law and accountability in the management of public resources.
He said though the Diri administration has consistently presented itself as committed to democracy, democracy entails more than elections and exercise of political power.
“Democracy is also about respect for the rule of law, transparency, accountability and the willingness of government to subject itself to public scrutiny,” he stated.
The publisher said the controversy surrounding the Chairperson of Sagbama Local Government Council has brought the issue of compliance with the transparency law into sharper focus, adding that government cannot demand obedience to the law from local officials while failing to comply with its own obligations.
According to Dufugha, the Transparency Law was enacted to ensure public disclosure of the financial affairs of the state, including income from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), internally generated revenue and other sources, as well as expenditure.
He argued that the Transparency Briefing was conceived as an open accountability platform and not a closed-door meeting of officials or a press conference for selected journalists.
He said the briefing is expected to involve government’s presentation team and relevant stakeholders, including journalists across print, online and broadcast platforms, civil society organisations, professional bodies, labour unions, community leaders, traditional rulers and other interested members of the public.
Against this background, Dufugha said conducting the briefing inside a single room at the Ministry of Finance with only a few invited journalists questions whether the exercise conforms to the spirit and purpose of the law.
“Transparency cannot be reduced to the mere reading out of financial figures. True transparency requires that the people should have the opportunity to understand, question and seek clarification on how their resources are being managed,” he said.
He stressed that Bayelsans have the right to know how much accrues to the state monthly from FAAC, internally generated revenue and other sources, how much is spent, payments made to contractors, debt servicing obligations and utilisation of public funds.
While commending the state government for continuing with the briefing, Dufugha urged it to make the process genuinely open, transparent and inclusive in accordance with the law.
He said restricting access to critical financial information undermines the media’s constitutional responsibility of holding government to account.
He also called for participation of civil society organisations, labour unions, professional bodies and traditional institutions in the briefing process, noting that this is how a culture of accountability is built.
“The rule of law must be applied consistently. It cannot be selective. If the Transparency Law is good enough to demand accountability from local government authorities, it is equally good enough for the state government to obey,” he said.
Dufugha called on the Diri administration to open up the briefing process and ensure Bayelsans have genuine opportunity to scrutinise and understand the financial affairs of the state.
