Bayelsa Resolves Lingering Inter-Agency Feud Among Revenue

The Bayelsa State Government has resolved the long-standing operational disagreement among its revenue-generating ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) operating in Yenagoa, the state capital.

The resolution was reached at a meeting between the feuding MDAs and the Deputy Governor, Dr Peter Akpe, in Government House, Yenagoa, following the formal submission of a report by the Mr. Ikobho Howells-led “Committee on Resolution of Conflicting Functions of Environmental Health Officers in the Yenagoa Capital City,” on Tuesday.

Speaking after receiving the report, Dr. Akpe noted that the adoption of the recommendations in the report had laid to rest the protracted operational conflict among officials of the state Environmental Sanitation Authority, the Ministries of Health and Environment, as well as the Yenagoa Local Government Council.

According to him, the state capital has been demarcated into four operational zones, with each of the MDAs being assigned to a zone with a view to permanently forestalling the recurring clash of interest among them in the collection of revenue.

The Deputy Governor, while admonishing the MDAs to recognize the fact that they all belong to Bayelsa and working on behalf of government, urged them to hit the internally generated revenue (IGR) target assigned to them in their respective catchment areas of operation.

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A breakdown of the report shows that Zone A which covers Amarata, Onopa, Yenagoa, Ovom, Azikoro, Agbura, Swali, and Famgbe axis, is assigned to the Bayelsa State Ministry of Health. 

Zone B, covering Ekeki, Okaka, Yenizue-Epie, Okaka, Kpansia, Anyama Ijaw, Igeibiri and Obogoro, has been assigned to Ministry of Environment. 

According to the report, Zone C has Yenizuegene, Biogbolo, Opolo, Okutukutu, Etegwe, Imiringi and Emeyal as its catchment and is assigned to the Yenagoa Local Government Council. 

While Zone D which covers Edepie, Akenpai, Agudama-Epie, Akenfa, Yenegwe, Igbogene, Okolobiri, Obunugha, Tombia and Amassoma, is exclusively preserved for Bayelsa State Environmental Sanitation Authority for its revenue drive.

Further classification of the operational module for the MDAs include the use of hand bands of different colours, with Yenagoa Local Government Council officials to wear brown hand-bands; Environmental Sanitation Authority to be clad with Blue hand-bands, while operatives from Ministries of Health and Environment are to wear Yellow and green hand-bands.

Responding on behalf of the parties, the Chairman of Yenagoa Local Government Council, Mr. Bulodisiye Ndiwari, thanked the State Government for its intervention and expressed satisfaction with the new operational arrangements marshalled out for the four government institutions.

Speaking with newsmen shortly after the meeting, the Head of Service, Dr. Wisdom Ebiye-Sawyer, pointed out that the MDAs had been engulfed in an operational stand-off for more than four years, leading to the intervention of the State Government.

Dr. Ebiye Sawyer, who appreciated government for taking the bull by the horn to resolve the impasse once for all, expressed optimism that the MDAs having been assigned clear-cut area of operation, would be better focused on their IGR targets without the usual inter-agency bickerings in and off the field.