The federal government has finally released the sum of N9.75bn reimbursement for the takeover of the erstwhile Lafia Cargo Airport, which was renamed as Usman Dan Fodio Airport.
Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule disclosed this during a special meeting with selected stakeholders from across the state yesterday at the Government House in Lafia.
Recall that LEADERSHIP recently compiled a detailed report revealing how the airport was rotting away years after the federal government took over.
This newspaper also revealed that the federal government was unable to release the money meant to compensate the Nasarawa State government for the project.
Governor Sule confirmed at the stakeholders meeting that his administration has been relentlessly pursuing a refund amounting to N9.75bn after the facility was taken over.
He said the state government got the refund money only last week from the federal government.
“A lot of efforts were made to receive the refund, and that is why I said I must commend and appreciate all our leaders from the National Assembly to the ministry to the revenue service, our elders whom we consulted, one way or the other, for us to be able to get the refund. We will discuss further what was received, in what form and the decision we have jointly taken together,” he said.
He stated that the stakeholders’ meeting would also allow the participants to discuss further the way forward regarding the money received.
“Let me, at this moment, begin by showing great appreciation to His Excellency, Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, for the initiative to construct this airport, which today has brightened the investment potentials of the state.
“If you remember, we completed the airport and invited the former president to come and commission the airport in 2022. But initially, just like it was intended, we started talking about the handing over of that airport to the federal government for full utilisation.
“The idea of wanting the refund was that we wanted to see the possibility of using that refund to complete the road between Kwandere and Sabongida. The amount we requested as a refund at the time, about N9.75bn, was what we needed to complete the road, which was again initiated by Senator Al-Makura.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the money until last week when we received N9.75bn from the Federal Government,’’ he explained.
Recall that in July 2022, Governor Sule hinted at the federal government’s plan to take over the facility.
In September 2022, a federal government team inspected the facility before the final takeover following a deal with the state government.
The permanent secretary, Mrs Suzette Taylor-Lee Chee, led the delegation from the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget, and National Planning.
According to the leader of the federal government team, the inspection was part of the process that led to the refund of the amount the state government had expended.
After the inspection, the delegation’s leader assured the ministry would get the Federal Executive Council’s approval for the money in a few weeks.
In May 2023, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the reimbursement through “a promissory note in the sum of N9,000,542,651,786.11 issued to the Nasarawa State Government as a refund for the takeover of the newly constructed Nasarawa Airport.”
It was also learnt that both chambers of the National Assembly approved President Bola Tinubu’s request for the development separately in October 2024.
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