Bayelsa Govt Splurges ₦7bn on Judiciary, ₦1bn on Miscellaneous as Citizens Battle Poverty in ‘Budget of Assured Prosperity’

Secrets Reporters

The Bayelsa State Government has allocated an enormous sum for the welfare of the state judiciary, even as justice and fairness continue to elude the people of Bayelsa, who survive on crumbs from the government—akin to the biblical parable of the rich man and the poor man.

Documents obtained by SecretsReporters reveal that the Bayelsa State Government has budgeted a staggering ₦905,448,000.00 for the welfare of the State High Court. In addition, a cumulative ₦1,081,047,000.00 has been earmarked for miscellaneous expenses.

In the state’s 2025 budget, a total of ₦7,030,563,445.36 was approved for the Bayelsa State High Court. A breakdown of the figures shows that ₦320,000,000.00 was allocated for travel and transport. Of this, ₦100,000,000.00 is set aside for local travel and transport (training), another ₦120,000,000 for local travel and transport (other), and ₦100,000,000.00 for international travel and training.

The documents further show that the High Court will spend ₦36,500,000.00 on electricity charges, telephone bills, internet access, and satellite broadcasting.

The sum of ₦120,000,000.00 has been allocated as a security vote, while ₦70,000,000.00 will be used for cleaning and fumigation services.

For maintenance services, the court will spend ₦102,000,000.00 on vehicles and transport equipment, ₦50,000,000.00 on office furniture, ₦100,000,000.00 on office buildings and residential quarters, and ₦45,360,000.00 on office and IT equipment. This brings the total maintenance budget for the High Court to ₦586,149,000.

Under miscellaneous expenses, ₦10,769,000 is allocated for refreshments and meals, ₦12,120,000 for honoraria and sitting allowances, ₦10,210,000 for publicity and advertisement, ₦95,000,000 for local medical expenses, and ₦2,500,000 for postage and courier services. Welfare packages alone will cost ₦905,448,000, while ₦15,000,000 is allocated for sporting activities and ₦30,000,000 for special days and celebrations.

Fuel and lubricants will cost a total of ₦322,040,000—₦92,040,000 for motor vehicle fuel and ₦230,000,000 for plant/generator fuel.

The Bayelsa State budget was signed into law in December 2024 by Governor Senator Douye Diri and was tagged the “Budget of Assured Prosperity”. Initially presented by the governor on 31st October with a proposed figure of ₦689.4 billion, the budget was later increased by ₦10.1 billion to ₦699.7 billion by the House of Assembly.