The recent reimbursement of N148.1 billion expended on federal roads by Bayelsa, Cross River, Osun, Ondo and Rivers States governments by President Muhammadu Buhari is a record-breaker. It has also shown the President’s exceptional sincerity, fairness, uncommon integrity and dogged patriotism.
According to the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO), this latest approval is coming after similar payment of N550, 364,297.31billion was made to 31 states, thus bringing the total sum paid to the 36 states to N718.365, 297.31billion.
In a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, BMO said it takes only a competent, incorruptible, pragmatic democrat, and a strong-willed, visionary leader like President Buhari to, in less than four years, reimburse 36 states with over N718billion denied by previous governments.
“These are debts President Buhari inherited from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governments of 16 years at the time crude oil was selling for over $100 per barrel. This administration has continued to do much more with much fewer resources.
“PDP-led governments frustrated all efforts by the States government to get a refund for FG projects executed in their respective States, they failed because the central government lacked the political will and competence to do the needful.
“It should be noted that the reimbursement has been without political colouration; another evidence that President Buhari as the father of the nation, belongs to all irrespective of their political affiliation, and his aim is geared towards the development of the country as a whole.
“Three of the five benefitting States who would receive the lion share of this largesse are controlled by the opposition PDP. Cross River State would receive N18billion; Ondo State, N7.8billion; Osun State, N2.4billion; Bayelsa State, N38billion; and Rivers State, N78 billion”.
The pro- Buhari group noted that this is a huge amount to refund to States for previous work done on Federal roads by States and there has never been such humongous single refund in one fell swoop.
“President Muhammad Buhari has thus redeemed his campaign promise to reimburse States of money spent on federal roads interventions between 1999 to 2015”, the statement added
