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24 States get N477b refund on FG projects — Lai Mohammed

The present administration has so far reimbursed state governments to the tune of N447 billion for expenses incurred on Federal Government projects, Minister of Information and Culture,  Lai Mohammed, has said.

He disclosed this to Correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday.

Mohammed said in Abuja: “I think it’s important to say that well it’s true that we’re just reporting this particular memo, which is the refund being sought by Yobe State Government.

“Yobe State Government is asking for the sum of N18,663,843,109 as reimbursement for five federal roads, which they rehabilitated or constructed.

“A committee was set up to inspect the claim.

They were actually found to be true.

“They reviewed the N20 billion they asked for and certified N18 billion as refund due to Yobe State for undertaking the construction/rehabilitation of these federal roads on behalf of the Federal Government.

“But this is not the first time.

“We have, since 2015, made refunds to about 24 states.

“If my records are correct, and I want to put on record here, that but for the benevolence of this administration, many states would have sunk under.

“You will remember that by the time we came in, about 27 states of the federation were unable to pay salaries.

“They owed salaries and could not pay.

“It took this Federal Government to really bail many of them out so they could pay not only salaries, but also they could pay the arrears.

“When the price of crude crashed, this same government gave each state what is called a bailout and some of the states today that complain that they’ve never benefited from the Federal Government, especially the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) states, are the ones that have taken the lion share of this reimbursement.

“The records I have here say that Akwa Ibom got N61 billion from this Federal Government for works done on behalf of the government and especially before we came in.

“Rivers had upwards of N100 billion.

“But we show that …

News / politics

Crisis hits APC as Youth Wing sacks CECPC, disowned by leadership

The internal crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress worsened on Monday with the party’s Youth Wing sacking the Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee.

In a quick reaction, the leadership of the party said the APC Progressive Youth Movement was not a recognized body.

The APC Progressive Youth Movement on Monday handed the CECPC, led by the Yobe State Governor, Mai Male Buni, an ultimatum to pack and go.

The Chairman of the APC-PYM, Mustapha Audu, said: “Today is the day that story of youths are leaders of tomorrow ended. “Today, we are leaders of here and now and we will change Nigeria.

“We have been recognized by Mr. President and by all the members of the party.

“I can tell you that the leaders are currently scrambling and having meeting on how to align with us.

“This Caretaker Committee has sacked the Buni-led caretaker committee and (it) stands dissolved, disbanded and no longer represent the APC members.

“As the new committee, we will take up the monumental task of reconciliation.”

Speaking in Abuja on Monday, Audu gave the party’s national leadership a January 3, 2021 ultimatum to vacate the national secretariat.

He said the group would not only write to the Buni-led committee next week to hand over and vacate the national secretariat, but would also write an audit firm to look into the accounts of the ruling party since the caretaker committee took over last year.

He said: “It is clear that there are issues in our great party and we all know that there are constitutional lacuna we are facing and the opposition is not happy with what is going on.

“The composition of the sacked APC was in clear violation of the party and Nigeria’s constitution, but we have resolved that constitution lacuna and we are no longer unprepared for the 2023 general elections.

“To show you the power of young people, we met just a week ago in Kaduna and fixed our convention for February 2022 only for the governors to assemble in Abuja 24 …