₦2.3 Trillion FAAC: Bayelsa Publisher Demands Diri’s Six-Year Development Scorecard
By Jonah Fubara, YENAGOA – A Bayelsa-based media practitioner and Publisher of the Niger Delta Herald Newspapers, Francis Dufugha, has challenged the administration of Governor Douye Diri to account for the resources that have accrued to the state since 2020, particularly in the face of the state’s reported high multidimensional poverty rate.
Dufugha, in a statement issued on Monday, said Bayelsa State received approximately ₦2.3 trillion in gross allocations from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) between 2020 and 2025, raising questions about the measurable impact of the funds on the lives of ordinary citizens.
His intervention comes against the backdrop of the National Bureau of Statistics’ Multidimensional Poverty Index, which placed Bayelsa’s multidimensional poverty rate at 88.5 per cent, among the highest reported in the country. The statement also noted that child multidimensional poverty in the state was reported at above 95 per cent.
Unlike conventional poverty measurements based largely on income, the multidimensional poverty index considers several forms of deprivation, including health, education, living standards and employment.
Dufugha said the figures should prompt a serious conversation about the state’s development priorities and the relationship between public revenue and improvements in citizens’ living conditions.
“The question is not simply how much money has come into Bayelsa. The more important question is: What has the money achieved for the people?” he asked.
Questions Over Development Priorities
While acknowledging some achievements of the Diri administration, including the completion of housing estates inherited from the previous administration and the construction of residential quarters for legislators and commissioners at New Yenagoa City/New GRA, Dufugha questioned whether government expenditure on accommodation for political office holders should take priority in a state facing widespread poverty and a housing affordability crisis.
He argued that government housing policies should place greater emphasis on low-income families, young workers, teachers, healthcare professionals, civil servants, first-time homeowners and other vulnerable households.
According to him, affordable housing schemes, serviced plots, rent-to-own programmes, low-interest housing finance and public-private partnerships could provide more Bayelsans with realistic opportunities to own homes.
He described the issue as one of development priorities rather than opposition to the government.
Publisher Demands Six-Year Scorecard
Dufugha called on the Diri administration to publish a comprehensive six-year financial and development scorecard detailing the revenues received by the state and the measurable outcomes achieved during the period.
He said the proposed scorecard should cover poverty reduction, employment and youth development, education, healthcare, housing, infrastructure, agriculture and economic development, as well as household living standards.
The publisher said his request was being made in the spirit of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, and Section 39(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which provides for freedom of expression and the right to receive and impart information.
“As a media practitioner and publisher, I believe that asking questions about public resources and development outcomes is not an act of hostility. It is an essential part of democratic accountability,” he said.
‘Bayelsans Deserve Facts, Figures’
As the state marks 30 years of its creation, Dufugha urged the government and citizens to engage in what he described as an honest assessment of Bayelsa’s development trajectory.
He said the government should provide updated evidence if the state’s poverty situation had substantially improved since the NBS assessment.
“If Bayelsa has substantially improved since the NBS assessment, let the government publish the latest credible data and show the evidence,” he said.
Dufugha stressed that his intervention was not directed against Governor Diri personally, describing himself as a Bayelsan and stakeholder interested in the political and development affairs of the state.
“Bayelsans deserve facts, figures and measurable results—not propaganda or social-media hype,” he said.
He concluded with a call for a development agenda focused squarely on citizens: “Let us plan for the people. Let us build for the people. Let us house the people.”
The statement was signed by Francis Dufugha, Publisher of the Niger Delta Herald Newspapers and stakeholder in the Bayelsa political and development space.
