Senate approves Buhari’s request to refund N148.14bn to five states

The Senate on Tuesday approved a request from President Muhammadu Buhari to reimburse five states for constructing federal roads.

Buhari had, in a letter dated 13th August 2020, sought the Red Chamber’s approval to approve the sum of N148,14 billion as promissory notes to Bayelsa, Cross River, Ondo, Osun and Rivers State Governments for federal road projects executed by the states.

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Out of the sum of N148,141,969,161.24, Bayelsa State is expected to be reimbursed N38,404,564,783.40; Cross River State, N18,394,732,608.85; Ondo, N7,822,147,577.08; Osun State, N4,567,456,673.63; and Rivers State, N78,953,067,518.29.

The Senate okayed Buhari’s request after considering the report of its Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, which recommended the approval.

The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Clifford Ordia (PDP, Edo Central), in his presentation, said that most of the federal highways in the beneficiary states where the projects were executed “were at a deplorable state before the intervention of the state governments.”

He added that while the State Governments have completed all projects, as well as paid all contractors, the Federal Bureau of Procurement on its part certified that due process was followed accordingly.