Despite dwindling oil revenues that have drastically impacted Bayelsa State as well as N4 billion pension liabilities, Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa has just lavished public funds on a beauty pageant that was supposed to be the private affair of the Murray-Bruce family in Yenegoa. This is despite the governor saying recently said that the sponsorship of entertainment awards by the state government was not in the interest of the state’s oil-dependent and consumption economy. SaharaReporters has also gathered that the state currently has a pension liability of about N4 billion, which compelled pensioners to stage a public protest a fortnight ago. The justification for the policy summersault to permit expending state resources to fund a beauty pageant in a state where basic social amenities are non-existent is unclear, especially coming from Dickson, who claims to run a prudent and transparent administration.

It would be recalled that earlier this year, the Bayelsa Government had to embark on a fundraising dinner to raise part of the sponsorship funds for the African Movie Academy Awards hosted by the state. Observers of developments in Bayelsa said that beauty pageant sponsorship may be a form of patronage for Mr. Ben Murray-Bruce, the Chairman of the organizing Silverbird Group who contested the gubernatorial election with Dickson two years ago. “The show was packaged to assuage the carnal lust of the political class and this is very sad development from a government that pledged to deviate from the culture of waste of public resources by previous governments,” an analyst said. “How can a state where there is endemic poverty and no public water supply and be wasting billions of Naira in sponsoring a beauty pageant where the elites will simply spend one night watching nudity and unclothedness of young girls. Asked Ephraim Johnson, a resident of Yenagoa, the state capital, “Is this the way he will develop the state? It is rather shocking that while the masses are struggling with refuse heaps and crying for basic infrastructure, the politicians are spending the commonwealth of the state on trivial things as beauty pageants.

Source : http://gidibase.com/2013/07/23/revealed-how-bayelsa-governor-lavished-n4-billion-pension-fund-on-miss-nigeria-2013-beauty-pageant/

Bayelsa is terribly unlucky with leaders. From Alamco to GEJ then Sylva and now this joker. How will the State develop when it is only these sort of characters who become governor? Tragic.

misplaced priority I guess.

For some reasons this is one of the states in Nigeria you don't get surprise at clueless decisions.

This is a sensational write up with sinister motive. I'm not from the state but That is just the truth.

#4 billion naira on a beauty contest? haba it can never be true

Seriake [size=20]D1ckhead[/size]!

The figure is over bloated IMHO
Is he the only one?
How about the ACN governors that paid 1 billion of state money to throw Tinubu a Birthday
Abeg

Tolexander: Seriake [size=20]D1ckhead[/size]!

Nna, I said it, that guy worse pass Retardomonic

From Alams to Retardeen to Sylva to Dickson

Bayelsa surely has suffered

Even though I regard Seriake Dickson as a bumbling oaf, i beg to ask the question; does OP really know what 4 billion naira is, or he just wants to get enough hits to make front page ? Mind you, OP's mischievous assertion is that the "4 billion naira" squandered on this pageant is from pension funds. Mischief really stinks

Gbawe: Bayelsa is terribly unlucky with leaders. From Alamco to GEJ then Sylva and now this joker. How will the State develop when it is only these sort of characters who become governor? Tragic.

it goes to show you how low the ijaws are. Everybody simply wants to eat when it gets to their turn.

With all una 'OYEL MONI', una b one of the poorest states in Nigeria. Yet you spent the sum of 4Billion Naira on a misplaced priority. Truly you don't know your basic priorities. Bayelsa have never had a visionary leader, by now they should be competing with AKS and Lagos state..oh! Na una sabi! One wonders why your name is Governor D1ckson?

babyosisi: The figure is over bloated IMHO
Is he the only one?
How about the ACN governors that paid 1 billion of state money to throw Tinubu a Birthday
Abeg

Nigerians have never had constant electricity, quality health services, quality education, motorable roads, jobs, secured lives, and the list goes on.
Yet our clueless leaders including the Western ACN leaders spend huge money just to worship their god on his birthday? God is indeed watching! And they call themselves progressive? I weep! They are all same. Nigeria is doomed! The ACN worshipper was even the first to condemn Gov D1ckson. He failed to understand that he who lives in a glass house, does not throw stone at it.

Arosa: misplaced priority I guess.

You guessed right.

Nawa 4 naija

wetin concern me??

maxwello.yg:

Nigerians have never had constant electricity, quality health services, quality education, motorable roads, jobs, secured lives, and the list goes on.
Yet our clueless leaders including the Western ACN leaders spend huge money just to worship their god on his birthday? God is indeed watching! And they call themselves progressive? I weep! They are all same. Nigeria is doomed! The ACN worshipper was even the first to condemn Gov D1ckson. He failed to understand that he who lives in a glass house, does not throw stone at it.

Taaaaa! Are you not a man?! BIG GIRLS PANTS

So people still haven't figured out that this article Cannot be possibly correct.... It is glaringly self-contradicting and an obvious Hacket job.. *smh*

taharqa2: So people still haven't figured out that this article Cannot be possibly correct.... It is glaringly self-contradicting and an obvious Hacket job.. *smh*

please learn to ignore children of anger, for they are frustrated.