Buhari Tables N10.06bn Kogi Govt Refund Before NASS

• Opposition kicks over timing
• Accuses FG of aiding voting buying plans

BY VICTOR BUORO, ABUJA – The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday received a request from President Muhammadu Buhari to approve the payment of N10.069 billion to the Kogi State government as refund of money spent by the State on behalf of Federal Government.

The request was contained in a letter dated October 10, 2019 and read during plenary by President of the Senate, Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan.

The amount will settle inherited local debts and contractual obligations to the State for projects it executed on behalf of the Federal Government.

The Senate President has therefore referred Mr President’s request to the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts for further legislative work and findings.

President Buhari noted that 24 out of 25 State governments have so far received the National Assembly approval for settlement of claims on projects executed on behalf of the Federal Government.

He explained that N10.069 billion is the outstanding amount due to Kogi State government as the only State yet to receive its due refund from the federal coffers

The letter reads: “The Distinguished Senate President would recall that, based on my request for the Resolution of the National Assembly approving the establishment of a promissory note programme and a Bond Issuance to settle inherited Local Debts and Contractual Obligations of the Federal Government, the 8th National Assembly passed Resolutions approving the Issuance of Promissory Notes to refund State Governments for projects executed on behalf of the Federal Government.

“The Resolutions of the 8th Assembly were conveyed through three different letters from the Clerk of the National Assembly as follows: Letter dated July 27, 2018 and referenced NASS/CAN/106/Vol.10/277 which approved the Issuance of Promissory notes to 21 states.

“Letter dated January 29, 2019 and referenced NASS/CAN/106/Vol.11/004 which approved the Issuance of Promissory Notes to Delta and Taraba States; and letter dated May 23, 2019 and referenced NASS/CAN/106/Vol.11/164 which approved the Issuance of Promissory Notes to Bauchi State.”

“The three Resolutions approved the Issuance of Promissory Notes to 24 out of the 25 State Governments requested, and the only State for which approval has not been given is Kogi State, with an outstanding claim of N10,069,692,410.15 (Ten billion, Sixty-Nine million, Six Hundred and Ninety-Two thousand, Four Hundred and Ten Naira, Fifteen Kobo).

“The Senate may wish to note that, subsequent to Resolutions of the National Assembly approving the refunds to the 24 State Governments, the Federal Government has issued Promissory Notes to all the approved States for the settlement of their claims.

“Accordingly, the Senate is hereby requested to kindly approve, the Issuance of a Promissory Note in the sum of N10, 069,692,410.15 as refund to Kogi State Government for Projects executed on behalf of the Federal Government.”

However, alleging votes buying plans and strategies to monetise the forthcoming governorship election in Kogi State, opposition elements are already kicking over the timing for the proposed refund of such huge funds to State government.

They expressed concerns that with the election just about a month away, the likelihood of gross abuse of such funds by the Governor Yahaya Bello-led administration for electoral purposes is quite high.

Carpeting the Federal Government for what he called “wanting to compromise the election in Kogi state with money”, an opposition party chieftain, who refused to have his name in print for personal security, urged the Senate to be more circumspect in approving the President’s request.

Another critic, who is an insider in Kogi government, said; “Going by the governor’s desperation to win the November 16 gubernatorial election at all cost, there is every tendency that these funds when released by the Federal Government at this time will be mismanaged and squandered on vote buying and other fraudulent activities before and during the polls”