Transparency: NGO urges Dickson to emulate El-Rufai

Patriotic Citizens of Nigeria (PACON), an NGO, on Thursday urged Gov. Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa to emulate his Kaduna State counterpart, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, by publishing details of his monthly salary and security vote.

PACON threw the challenge in a statement signed by its conveners, Messrs Aluzu Ebikebuna and Poweidei Debekeme, in Yenagoa.

The NGO argued that Dickson’s claim of running a transparent government since 2012 was not entirely correct as the governor had never disclosed how much he had been collecting as salary and security vote, which are public funds.

“We wish to state that accountability and transparency goes far beyond gathering only political appointees in a government-controlled environment and dole out figures without proper breakdown of how those figures were received and spent.

“The arrangement also does not give room for critical questions to be asked as related to stewardship.

“This is the sorry state of what the government calls transparency briefing obtainable in Bayelsa State.

“We hereby insist that in the spirit of accountability and transparency, the governor should as a matter of urgency, make public his various salary pay slips, security votes and the amounts allocated to the various local governments in the state,” PACON said.

It also implored the state House of Assembly to also make public its budget, various constituency allocation funds, wardrobe allowances for members and the salaries of its leaders, beginning with the 2017 budget.

“Transparency is not only a word. The government must ensure it takes the genuine step of making public the security votes, pay slips of the governor and the amounts allocated to the local government councils.

“This, among other necessary things, will enhance, sustain, strengthen and propel the wheel of democracy.

“The Bayelsa government should allow for NGO-driven transparency briefings that would be held outside government-controlled environment,” the NGO said.