Bayelsa Assembly sacks LG chairman, deputy

The Bayelsa State House of Assembly has approved the removal from office of the Chairman of Sagbama Local Government Area, Alice Allen Tangi, and her Vice-Chairman, Sufade Jefferson Tobi, over alleged gross misconduct.

The decision was taken during Tuesday’s plenary following consideration of a petition against the two elected local government officials.

The Speaker of the House, Abraham Ingobere, said the resolution was reached in accordance with the Bayelsa State Local Government Administration Law, 2000, and other relevant legal provisions.

Ingobere said the petition bordered on the alleged failure of the chairman to present monthly transparent briefings and the annual budget before spending public funds, as well as her failure to honour invitations by the House to respond to the allegations.

He said the House secured the required two-thirds majority for the removal, with 17 of the 20 lawmakers present voting in favour of the resolution.

The Speaker said, “The resolution of the House will be communicated to the executive arm of government for necessary action.”

He added that the affected officials had allegedly failed to appear before the House despite several invitations to respond to the issues raised in the petition.

The Assembly also cited relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the Bayelsa State Local Government Administration Law in arriving at its decision.

In another development, the Assembly approved Governor Douye Diri’s request for the payment of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance and Consolidated Non-Teaching Tools Allowance to staff of the state-owned universities.

Supporting the request, the Leader of the House, Monday Obolo, said the approval was necessary because of the challenges confronting the state-owned universities.

Obolo said the allowances would improve the welfare and productivity of academic and non-academic staff while ensuring that Bayelsa’s institutions remained competitive with universities in other states.

He said, “Due to the enormous challenges faced by state-owned universities, the approval is necessary in order to enhance the productivity of lecturers and non-lecturers.”

According to him, the projected monthly financial implication of the allowances across the three state-owned universities is N564,842,691.58.

He said the amount would be incorporated into the state’s salary structure, with payment expected to commence next month.

Lawmakers representing Ekeremor Constituency II and Kolokuma/Opokuma Constituency, Living Mitin and Wisdom Fafin, respectively, also supported the approval.

They said the allowances would improve staff welfare and prevent disruptions in the state’s tertiary education system.

The House also approved a new chart of accounts to accommodate newly created ministries, departments and agencies of the state government.

The measure, according to the lawmakers, is in line with international best practices and is intended to promote transparency in tracking government revenue and expenditure and improve budgetary planning.

Similarly, lawmakers approved the 2027–2029 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper submitted by Diri.

Explaining the importance of the document, Obolo described the MTEF-FSP as a precursor to the annual budget, saying it would enable the government to plan using key macroeconomic indicators, including crude oil prices, exchange rates and inflation.

He said the economic parameters contained in the document were realistic and achievable.

The Deputy Leader of the House, Bernard Kenebai, commended Diri for submitting the MTEF-FSP on time, saying the projections were realistic.

The Assembly also conducted first readings of the Universal Basic Education Board Amendment Bill, 2026, and the Senior Secondary Education Board Bill, 2026.