Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has disagreed with President Bola Tinubu over the claim made during a nationwide broadcast on Sunday that states shared from the N570 billion given to states to cushion the effects of economic hardship in the country.
Makinde who is also deputy chairman of Nigeria’s Governors Forum made the counterclaim in a newsletter published on the state’s official website, saying the funds disbursed was not a direct allocation from the federal government.
In a newsletter No. 95 of August 2024 personally signed by the Oyo State governor and shared on his X handle on Thursday, he said the state was not in the know of such a grant.
“Before I speak more on further actions we have taken to show our commitment to productivity and sustainability, let me respond to a long message I received earlier in the week from a concerned citizen.
“The message was about a purported N570 billion Hardship Fund ‘given’ to the 36 States by the federal government. I was queried about what I used the money for.
“Let me state categorically that this is yet another case of misrepresentation of facts. The said funds were part of the World Bank-assisted NG-CARES project – a Programme for Results intervention.
“The World Bank facilitated an intervention to help States in Nigeria with COVID-19 Recovery. CARES means COVID-19 Action Recovery Economic Stimulus. It was called Programme for Results because States had to use their money in advance to implement the programme. After the World Bank verified the amount spent by the state.
“Verit reimbursed the states through the platform provided at the federal level. The federal government did not give any state money; they were simply the conduit through which the reimbursements were made to states for money already spent.
“It is important to note that the World Bank fund is a loan to states, not a grant. So, states will need to repay this loan. Note also that NG-CARES, which we christened Oyo-CARES in our state, predates the present federal administration.
“So, in direct response to the message, the federal government did not give Oyo State any money. We were reimbursed funds (N5.98 billion in the first instance and N822 million in the second instance) we invested in the three result areas of NG-CARES, which includes inputs distribution to smallholder farmers within our State.
“In fact, when the World Bank saw our model for the distribution of inputs preceded by biometric capturing of beneficiary farmers, they adopted it as the NG-CARES model.
“Oyo State has always led in ensuring transparency in any donor-facilitated interventions. This is why we are always picked as one of the subnational beneficiaries.”
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