• LG boss denies complicity
By Emmanuel Addeh
The outgoing Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah (rtd), at the weekend alleged that his guest house located in the heart of the Bayelsa State Government House, Yenagoa, was looted by some unknown persons.
He urged the state government to investigate and recover the alleged stolen items, asking the public to take notice that he was not part of the looting.
The deputy governor had not been seen in the Government House since he lost in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primaries in September to the governor’s preferred candidate, Senator Douye Diri.
The monthly statutory ‘transparency briefing’, where the state income and expenditure for the previous month is announced, which was hitherto handled by him has also in the last couple of months been left for commissioners and special advisers to take care of.
Jonah was not part of the state’s governorship campaign of his party, although he has recently said he underwent a surgery in Dubai for an undisclosed ailment.
It wasn’t clear why the public statement signed on his behalf by his spokesman, Ebi Evinson, was released before any form of internal investigation was carried out, but Jonah said he had built a reputation which he would not allow anyone to tarnish.
He said: “It has come to the attention of the Office of the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State that recently some yet to be identified persons looted property, including a generator, electronic equipment, furniture, air conditioners and other sundry items in the deputy governor’s guest house in Government House, Yenagoa.
”For the avoidance of doubt, the Office of the Deputy Governor wishes to categorically state that it has not directed anybody to remove anything from the Deputy Governor’s Guest House.
“As a matter of fact, following the crises in Brass Local Government Area sometime last year, the Deputy Governor voluntarily offered part of the facility for use by the Chairman of Brass Local Government Council, Hon. Victor Isaiah, who is still occupying the place.”
He urged the Government House security to do their job properly and arrest all those involved in the heavily guarded government property.
Jonah added: “It is also pertinent to state that Government House security should up its game by apprehending the culprits who looted the Guest House at this last hour of the Restoration Administration.
“Finally, we also wish to state that for this unfortunate incident to occur at the twilight of his service to Bayelsans, it is a calculated attempt to tarnish the good image and reputation of the Deputy Governor, Retired Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah which he has painstakingly laboured to maintain while in office”
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Brass Local government area, Victor Isaiah, has said he wasn’t part of the stealing of government property.
“Isaiah reacts with discontentment the alarm raised by the Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Retired Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah over an alleged unprecedented looting of government property at the deputy governor’s guest house.
“Isaiah has nothing to do with the purported looting in view of the fact that he left the guest house in November 2019 and everything was intact when he moved, a fact the caretaker and house keepers are conscious of,” he said.
The Brass council chairman expressed worry over the report which he said is a calculated attempt to brand him a thief.
He disclosed that he wasn’t the only inhabitant of the government facility and expressed dismay that the media officer of the deputy governor found it convenient to call him out over the incident.
“Victor Isaiah categorically asserts his innocence on the matter. Those saddled with the responsibility of keeping the house which included the caretaker and some staff of the deputy governor’s office have spare keys to the apartments and visit to check on the state of the property. They should be quizzed,” he said.
Isaiah said he was grateful to the deputy governor for giving him accommodation in troubled times, but added that as a public official, he understood that taking away government property was criminal.
He called on the security operatives to carry out a thorough investigation with a view to fishing out the perpetrators.
