President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday urged the Senate to approve N16 billion as a refund to the Borno State through the issuance of promissory notes.
The president’s request letter was read by Senate President Ahmad Lawan at the plenary. He said the refund was for the construction of federal roads embarked upon by the Borno State government.
The letter reads: “The distinguished Senate president may wish to be informed that the Federal Executive Council (FEC), at its meeting of 3rd May 2023, approved the reimbursement of N16,772,486,002.19 to the Borno State government through the issuance of promissory notes in respect of federal road projects executed by the state.
“The FEC had earlier approved the reimbursement of N3,084,769,393.63 to Borno State at its meeting of 1 February 2023, along with the approval of N6,601,769,470.99 as reimbursement to the Plateau State government.
“My request for the resolution of the National Assembly for the issuance of promissory notes to the two states has already been forwarded to the National Assembly. This approval by FEC was based on an appeal by the state and my directive to the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to ensure that sufficient funds are provided for the completion of the Damboa/Chibok road based on the current cost of completion of the project.
“The FEC’s approval was also subsequent to the recommendation of a cabinet committee which reviewed documents submitted by the state and carried out physical inspection and verification of the projects executed by the state government”.
