Dashing Symbol of Failure Makes Plans

Dashing Symbol of Failure Makes Plans

OpenLife Nigeria reports that former Bayelsa Governor, Timipre Sylva, who symbolizes failure in public office, is making plans to return as Bayelsa governor.
He had been governor of the smallest but oil rich Bayelsa State between 2007 and 2012.
The young and dashing Minister of State for Petroleum, whose tenure unleashed unimaginable hardship on end users of petroleum products, is seeking a return to Yenagoa Government House as the governor. Official reports say Timipre Sylva has  resigned as a Minister from the Buhari’s Cabinet.

Seeking reward for incompetence

Without sentiment and emotions, the most mismanaged, poorly managed and under- managed sector in President Muhammadu Buhari’s government in eight years has been the oil sector, supervised by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum where Timipre Sylva is a Minister.
On his scorecard of failures are the promise of revamping all the four local refineries which hasn’t been met as well as the inconsistencies in the payment of oil subsidy which have not been clarified. In most case, public analysts are of the opinion that “Ghosts,” are the receivers of the subsidy payments.
There is also the poor distribution of refined petroleum products has gone worse in eight years, orchestrating alarming scarcity with its corresponding hardship on end users.
Clearly, the Petroleum Industry Act has changed nothing. At the moment, NNPC is worse in corporate governance than before.
By performance, how can such incompetent leader and Minister be promoted a State Governor as a reward for incompetence?

Corruption allegations Petroleum Minister

Information obtained by OpenLife from Timipre Sylva’s Wikipedia page indicates that “After the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) in August 2021, Sylva was accused of facilitating the bribery of federal legislators to guarantee the legislation’s advancement despite significant public opposition to parts of the text. According to Peoples Gazette reporting, at least $10 million was paid to legislators in payments organized by Sylva and Akwa Ibom North-East Senator Bassey Albert Akpan with between $1.5 million and $2 million going to both Senate President Ahmad Lawan and House Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila. Multiple legislators corroborated the story with several legislators expressing anger, not that the Gbajabiamila and Lawan allegedly took bribes but instead that the bribes were not shared equally among the legislators as other legislators claimed to have received $5,000 for representatives and $20,000 for senators. Gbajabiamila, Lawan, Sylva, and Akpan all declined to comment on the story.

Corruption allegations as Bayelsa governor

In 2012, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) formally instituted criminal charges against former governor of Bayelsa state, Timipre Sylva, for laundering close to N5 billion of funds belonging to Bayelsa state.
The charges filed by EFCC prosecuting attorney Festus Keyamo, who is currently the Minister of State in the  Ministry of Labour and Employment,  accused Mr. Sylva of money laundering, conversion and obtaining by false pretense.
At that time, Mr. Sylva had just ended a grueling political battle with then President Goodluck Jonathan regarding his candidacy for the gubernatorial election in Bayelsa state.
EFCC operatives hunted for Sylvia who they claimed was on the run.
The charges against Sylva:

IN THE FEDERAL HIGH COURT
HOLDEN AT ABUJA. CHARGE NO.: FHC/ABJ/CR/23/2012 BETWEEN: FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA…………COMPLAINANT AND
TIMIPRE SYLVA……………………………….ACCUSED PERSON

CHARGE

COUNT 1:
That you, Timipre Sylva, as Governor of Bayelsa State, with others now at large, sometime between October, 2009 and February, 2010, at various places in Nigeria, including Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court did conspire to commit a crime to wit: conversion of properties and resources amounting to N2,000,000,000.00 (Two Billion Naira) belonging to Bayelsa State Government and derived from an illegal act, with the aim of concealing the illicit origin of the said amount and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 17(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act), 2004 and punishable under Section 14(1) of the same Act.
COUNT 2:
That you, Timipre Sylva, as Governor of Bayelsa State, with others now at large, on or about the 22nd of January, 2010, at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, converted the sum of N380,000,000.00 (Three Hundred and Eighty Million Naira), property of the Bayelsa State Government, through the account of one Habibu Sani Maigidia, a Bureau De Change Operator with Account No. 221433478108, in Fin Bank, Plc, which sum you knew represented the proceeds of an illegal act with the aim of concealing the nature of the proceeds of the said illegal act and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 14(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act) 2004 and also punishable under section 14(1) of the same Act.

COUNT 3:
That you, Timipre Sylva, as Governor of Bayelsa State, with others now at large, on or about the 5th of February, 2010, at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, converted the sum of N50,000,000.00 (Fifty Million Naira), property of the Bayelsa State Government, through the account of one Enson Benmer Limited with Account No. 6152030001946, in First Bank, Plc, which sum you knew represented the proceeds of an illegal act with the aim of concealing the nature of the proceeds of the said illegal act and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 14(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act) 2004 and also punishable under section 14(1) of the same Act.
COUNT 4:
That you, Timipre Sylva, as Governor of Bayelsa State, with others now at large, on or about the 5th of February, 2010, at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, converted the sum of N20,000,000.00 (Twenty Million Naira), property of the Bayelsa State Government, through the account of one John Daukoru with Account No. 04800250000418, in United Bank for Africa, Plc, which sum you knew represented the proceeds of an illegal act with the aim of concealing the nature of the proceeds of the said illegal act and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 14(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act) 2004 and also punishable under section 14(1) of the same Act.
COUNT 5:
That you, Timipre Sylva, as Governor of Bayelsa State, with others now at large, sometime between October, 2009 and February, 2010, at various places in Nigeria, including Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court did conspire to commit a crime to wit: inducing Union Bank, Plc, with the intent to defraud, to deliver to Bayelsa State Government the sum of N2,000,000,000.00 (Two Billion Naira), under the false pretence of using the amount to augment salaries of the Bayelsa State Government and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8(a) and punishable under section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2004.
COUNT 6:
That you, Timipre Sylva, as Governor of Bayelsa State, with others now at large, sometime between October, 2009 and February, 2010, at various places in Nigeria, including Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court induced Union Bank, Plc, with the intent to defraud, to grant an overdraft facility of the sum of N2,000,000,000.00 (Two Billion Naira) to the Bayelsa State Government under the false pretence of using the amount to augment salaries of the Bayelsa State Government and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2004 and punishable under section 1(3) of the same Act.
Dated this 24th day of February, 2012