FG to raise bonds to refund states on projects —Fashola

MINISTER of Power, Works and Housing,  Babatunde Fashola, has said the Federal Government would raise bonds to refund billions of Naira owed state governors, that rehabilitated federal roads.

Fashola spoke in Enugu State, on Saturday, during a courtesy call on Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who appealed to the Federal Government to refund over N25 billion which the state government  expended in rehabilitating the federal roads.

The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Honourable (Mrs) Cecilia Ezeilo, told the minister that the people of the area have continued to suffer untold hardship, because of bad federal roads.

Fashola, who was in the state to inspect some federal roads in the state, stated that the Federal Government had carefully  assessed the various claims by the concerned state governments and had concluded arrangement to refund the money through the said bonds.

“We have also been briefed about your intervention on certain roads that are our roads and I and your commissioner have discussed about the outstanding claim from the Federal Government, and my message from the Federal Government is that we have completed the assessment of all these claims and the total amounts owed the States far exceed the total amounts as to the whole country,” Fashola stated.

“The plan of the Federal Government is to issue bonds to pay those money and then we pay the bonds back overtime,” he stated.

He urged the state government to assist the contractors handling federal roads in the State to secure the right of way, informing that they have been re mobilized to sites.

Mrs. Ezeilo, regretted the neglect of the  federal roads in the Souteast states, especially in Enugu state  which, according to her necessitated the intervention of the State government in rehabilitating some of the federal roads in her domain.

He said that the hardship suffered by the road users leaves much to be desired and requested the federal government to hasten action in fixing the remaining roads.

The deputy governor spoke further, saying that “the people of Enugu State and indeed ,the entire South East region have for long, suffered untold hardship arising from the collapse of most of the federal roads in the area .

“This of course, has been a great cause for concern for us as a people and has continued to attract comments and complaints from well meaning citizens and organizations across the country and even beyond’, said the deputy governor on behalf of Governor Ugwuanyi.

In appealing for the refund of over N25billion the State expended in rehabilitating the federal roads the governor said it  will assist the State in other critical areas of needs.

A breakdown of the N25bn owed the state government by the federal government show that the request for refund of the initial sum of N22.8bn had been presented to the federal government while a request for the refund of another N2.297bn being cost of the latest work on other federal roads in the state was made on Saturday.

The governor assured the federal government of his administration’s readiness to assist it in obtaining right of ways to facilitate work on the roads.