PAUL UTEBOR
SecretsReporters has uncovered a questionable allocation in Bayelsa State’s 2025 budget, where the Office of the Accountant General earmarked millions of naira for software charges, license renewals, and website hosting/domain fees tied to a website that does not exist. A total of ₦1,499,334,550.34 was approved for the office’s overall expenditure in the fiscal year, raising serious concerns about transparency and fiscal accountability.
A breakdown of the budget revealed that recurrent costs accounted for ₦1,020,000,000, with software charges and licence renewal budgeted at ₦170,000,000—an increase of over 70% compared to previous years, where ₦10,000,000 was allocated in 2024 and ₦20,000,000 in 2023.
Moreover, the document showed that the Office of the Accountant General budgeted a whopping ₦7,000,000.00 for website hosting and domain name renewal fees. In previous years, ₦2,000,000 and ₦5,000,000 were budgeted for 2024 and 2023, respectively.
However, this media house could not locate any official web address or website dedicated solely to the Office of the Accountant General of Bayelsa State. The only relevant website found was that of the Bayelsa State Ministry of Finance, which was last updated on 7th February 2025 with a document upload titled “Bayelsa State Outstanding Gratuities Arrears as at 31st December 2024 (as at the time of filing this report).”
Additionally, according to the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), all government institutions at the federal, state, and local levels, as well as any specific projects running for at least 18 months, are required to register their websites using the “.gov.ng” or “.mil.ng” domain.
The agency further clarified that it does not charge any fee for domain name registration or updates. However, if registration is conducted through a NiRA-accredited registrar, the registrar may charge a reasonable consultancy fee for its services.
Bayelsa State was the first state in Nigeria where oil was discovered in commercial quantities and drilled by Shell-BP in 1956. Despite its wealth of natural resources, the state continues to struggle with poverty, unemployment, infrastructural deficits, oil spills, and erosion.
It is an oil-rich states in southern Nigeria, sharing boundaries with Rivers State to the east and Delta State to the north. Its capital is Yenagoa.