Ismail Adebayo, Birnin Kebbi
Kebbi State Government has accused two serving senators from the state, Adamu Aliero and Dr. Yahaya Abdullahi of misinforming the senate on the request by the state government for the refund of N6.7bn for the two federal roads constructed by previous administrations in the state.
The State Commissioner for Works, Alhaji Abubakar Ladan while briefing newsmen over the matter in Birnin Kebbi said there have been so many distortions and falsehood surrounding the state government refund claim on the federal roads and the two senators were making it to look like a market affairs.
He said at no time did the governor or any official of the state government lay claims to the construction of the two roads. "All what we did was to pursue the state's right of compensation and what is due to Kebbi State as it was done to other states.
"We don't know what evidence Aliero and Dr Yahaya Abdullahi are asking for on the state reimbursement claim. He awarded the contract for one of the two roads when he was governor. He also said so at the senate hearing so what evidence is he asking for again?. All the documents are already in the Senate", the commissioner said.
He added that since the directives by the senate for Kebbi State Government officials to appear before it's committee on Aids Loans and Debt Management with all relevant documents,to defend it's claims of re-imbursement for the construction of the two federal roads in the state there have been needless controversies from different quarters.
He said for the records, two roads, Dabai-Mahuta-Koko 91km federal road was constructed between 2006-2011 at the cost of N5,070,912,911.47 by Adamu Aliero administration but was largely completed by Saidu Dakingari administration in 2011. Also the Malando-Garin Baka -Ngaski-Warra 42km road was constructed by Saidu Dakingari from 2008-2013 along with the 6 spans 90m bridge at the cost of N2,200,918,185.78.
"When this administration came in 2015, it discovered that federal government was reimbursing state governments for federal roads constructed by the states in their domain.
"In 2016 the state government directed the then commissioner for works, Alhaji Atiku Bunu to contact federal ministry of works and request for refund on the two roads and three others by the Abubakar Atiku Bagudu administration, all totalling N10.08bn.
"However, the federal ministry of works could only approve the two roads by Aliero and Dakingari for refund because they were constructed before 2015 when federal government ordered for the stoppage of construction of federal roads by state governments. It's approval was granted in 2020. The ministry thereafter recommended refund of the construction of the two roads to the tune of N6.7bn and the approval was granted on 7th September,2022", he said.
He said it was on record that the state honoured the national assembly's invitation to defend it's claims. He added that upon the letter the two Chambers of the national assembly wrote to the state government, all relevant documents regarding the construction of the roads were forwarded to the senate and house of representatives on 27 September, 2022.
"On the 6th of October,2022 the national assembly invited the state to appear before the committees of the two chambers. I led four-man committee to the senate and house of representatives. We successfully presented our case before the house committee which later led to the approval of the reimbursement by the house but the senate asked us to wait for further directives but we didn't hear from them until we went back to Kebbi.
The commissioner said the state officials have been given another chance by the senate to appear before it on Wednesday, 30th November, 2022. "It should be noted that all our relevant documents are already with the senate committee", he said.
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