POLITICS
Bayelsa Orders Community Leaders to Operate Within Laws, Nigerian Constitution
From Tayese Mike, Yenagoa
The Bayelsa State government on Wednesday cautioned the leadership of communities in the state to operate within the confines of the law and the Nigerian Constitution.
The Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, stated this at a meeting with the leadership of Imiringi Community at his office in Government House, Yenagoa.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo, who reacted to reports that the leadership of Imiringi was collecting monies to register non indigenes resident in their community, condemned the act in its entirety.
He admitted that though Government had directed the profiling of visitors to communities for security reasons, it did not at anytime mandate communities to make non-indigenes pay for such registration.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo said the alleged collection of registration fees from visitors ranging from N1,000 to N5,000 by the community development committee of Imiringi was not in tandem with the policy thrust of the government.
He noted that while government supports the registration of people coming to do business in Bayelsa communities, the people should be careful not to scare away potential investors with illegal and arbitrary levies.
The Bayelsa Number Two man noted that the reasons advanced by the Imiringi community for imposing the levies on the non-indigenous businesses were not tenable and supported by government.
The Deputy Governor, therefore, directed the leadership of Imiringi community in Ogbia Local Government Area, to immediately stop imposition of registration fees on non-indigenes resident in the area until further notice.
“Information at our disposal shows that you are collecting registration fees from visitors ranging from N1,000 to N5,000 from non indigenes in your community. If that is true, I want to say clearly that, it is not in tandem with the policy thrust of the state government.
“Yes, government supports the registration of people coming to do business in all our communities, but we have not at anytime issued any directive to communities to collect money or levies.
“As a people, we should not do things that are against the law and the Constitution of the country. Because the Constitution allows every citizen to reside, own and operate legitimate businesses anywhere in this country.
“You know, there is already a negative public perception about Bayelsa; that it is not an investor-friendly state. We are battling to change that perception, which some people are using to demarcate us even when their states are more violent and insecure than our state.
“I have listened to all the reasons you have given but they are tenable. You can raise funds through other legitimate means to carry out meaningful development projects in your community without recourse to imposing this kind of levies.
“Let me, therefore, appeal that you discontinue with collection of the levies. I will discuss the matter with the Governor and government will come up with a final position.”
Speaking earlier, the Public Relations Officer of Imiringi community, Mr. Adu Wilfred, explained that the N5,000 levy was imposed on only timber dealers, farmers and others carrying out business in the forest.
Mr. Adu also clarified that N1,000 was being collected as registration fee from non-indigenes doing business in the community such as commercial tricycle and motorcycle riders as well as shop owners to enable the community respond to issues concerning their safety.
Also speaking, a member of the Imiringi Council of Elders, Chief Otobo Bamekpar, explained the levy was not a monthly or yearly tax, but rather a one-time payment to guarantee the non-indigenes access to the community forest for their economic activities.
By David Torough, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has signed the Appropriation (Amendment) (No. 4) Bill, 2025, extending the implementation period of the 2025 budget from September 30, 2026, to December 31, 2026.
The amendment was passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, before being transmitted to the President for assent.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the extension will give Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) additional time to complete ongoing capital projects.
The statement said the move would ensure that funds already appropriated are fully utilised without disrupting critical government programmes.
“The extension gives Ministries, Departments and Agencies more time to complete ongoing capital projects,” the statement said.
“It ensures that funds already appropriated are fully put to work for Nigerians, without disrupting critical programmes.”
Tinubu also commended the leadership and members of the National Assembly for what the statement described as the prompt consideration of the amendment.
The president said the development demonstrated continued cooperation between the Executive and Legislative arms of government in the interest of the country.
The amendment therefore allows the Federal Government to continue implementing the 2025 budget until December 31, 2026, instead of the earlier September 30 deadline.
President Bola Tinubu has submitted the 2026 Statutory Budget Proposal of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to the House of Representatives for consideration and passage.
This is contained in a letter dated Aug.
20, 2026, addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Abbas Tajudeen and read by the Deputy Speaker, Rep. Benjamin Kalu at plenary on Tuesday in Abuja.In the letter, Tinubu said that the budget was prepared by the Minister of Niger Delta Development in line with the provisions of Section 121 of the 1999 Constitution.
According to him, the proposal was based on the NDDC’s revenue and expenditure forecasts and it aligned with the fiscal and developmental policies of the Federal Government and the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He said that the proposal also took into consideration the 2024–2026 Economic Recovery Growth Plan as well as key assumptions of the 2026 Appropriation Act of the Federal Government.
The President said the NDDC had prioritised programmes aimed at improving youth empowerment, energy and power supply, education, industrial and enterprise development, health and security.
He also listed increased agricultural productivity among the commission’s priorities, saying the interventions were intended to lift a significant number of citizens out of poverty.
Tinubu urged the House to give the proposal consideration and ensure its timely passage.
“I look forward to the timely passage of the 2026 Statutory Budget Proposal of the NDDC by the House of Representatives,” he said. (NAN)
By David Torough, Abuja
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, has charged Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to translate the findings of the 2026 Transparency and Integrity Index (TII) into concrete improvements in their operations in order to strengthen accountability and public trust.
He gave the charge while delivering the keynote address at the presentation of the 2026 Transparency and Integrity Index held at the Auditorium of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Abuja.
The SGF said the administration of President Bola Tinubu, remains committed to open, accountable and responsible governance, stressing that public institutions must ensure that their policies, programmes and actions are transparent, visible and understandable to Nigerians.
According to him, the Index has become a vital instrument for assessing accountability, openness and ethical standards across government institutions, while providing MDAs with clear benchmarks to identify areas of strength and gaps requiring improvement.
He urged heads of MDAs to integrate the findings and indicators of the Index into strategic planning, performance management, budget priorities, procurement processes, staff training and digital disclosure rather than allow the report to become another document left unused.
“The report should not sit on the shelf and should inform management decisions, budget priorities, procurement processes, staff training, digital disclosure, and how you communicate with the public,” he said.
Akume emphasised that transparency should be viewed as an institutional asset rather than an administrative burden, noting that integrity must be embedded in the procedures and culture of public institutions through clear policies, proper record-keeping, effective oversight, ethical leadership and consequences for wrongdoing.
He further tasked MDAs to take advantage of technology by ensuring that their websites and data portals provide accurate, timely and user-friendly information, including current budget, contract and service information, to enable citizens to effectively engage government and track the utilisation of public resources.
The SGF explained that the 2026 TII assesses public institutions in five critical areas comprising fiscal transparency, open procurement and contracting, human resources and inclusion, control of corruption and citizens’ engagement, adding that the initiative complements existing public service reforms, anti-corruption measures and Nigeria’s Open Government Partnership commitments.
He noted that the ultimate objective of transparency and integrity should go beyond institutional rankings to building public institutions that Nigerians can understand, engage with and hold accountable, while safeguarding public resources and improving service delivery.
“The Federal Government remains fully committed to this goal. We will continue building institutions that are transparent, accountable, professional and responsive to the needs of the people,” the SGF said.
Akume commended the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) and the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CeFTPI) for sustaining the initiative, while calling for stronger collaboration among government, civil society, professional bodies, development partners and the media in strengthening transparency and bringing corruption to its knees.
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