By Samuel Oyadongha

Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has described as worrisome the state’s poor Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). He, however, assured that his administration was making frantic efforts to reverse the trend by creating enabling environment for investors to come into the state to boost the local economy.

Most of the few business outfits including oil multinationals, exploring the large crude oil deposit in the state, he lamented, do not have their corporate offices in Bayelsa in spite of the ecological problems caused by their operations with the result that they pay taxes to other states where their headquarters are located.

Dickson stated this during the monthly Transparency Initiatives briefing held Wednesday at the state Banquet Hall in Yenagoa.

His words: “We have a big problem in generating sizable IGR and this is detrimental to the rejuvenation strategies aimed at repositioning the state’s economy. Our IGR is even less than what some local governments in other states generate.

“We are facing developmental challenges and that is why we are investing in peace and security as catalyst to attract local and foreign investments. The magnitude of the economic problems informed our trade mission trip to South Africa as part of our moves to evolve stronger pedestal for our economy to grow.”