The Senate on Tuesday approved President Muhammadu Buhari’s request for a refund of N148,141,969,161.24 to Rivers, Bayelsa, Cross River, Osun and Ondo State Governments for projects executed on behalf of the Federal Government.
The approval was sequel to the consideration of a report the Senator Clifford Ordia-led Committee on Local and Foreign Debts.
Ordia, during his report presentation, said that most of the federal highways in the beneficiary states where the projects were executed “were at a deplorable state before the intervention of the state governments.”
According to him, series of visits were carried out by the Federal Ministry it Works and Housing on all Federal Roads completed by the states and ascertained that the quality off work done met the required standards.
The lawmaker disclosed that states like Cross River, Rivers, Bayelsa and Ondo embarked on the highway projects execution as far back as 2005 to date.
He noted that while the state governments had completed all projects and paid all contractors, the Federal Bureau of Procurement on its part certified that due process was followed on the execution of the various projects.
