Federal roads: FG to refund Anambra N30bn

It was cheering news for the An­ambra State Governor, Willie Obiano at the weekend, when the Federal Government promised to refund to the state government the N30 billion it spent on feder­al roads.

The news was broken by the Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing, Alhaji Mustapha Baba Shehiru, when he visited the governor at the Government House, Awka.

Shehiru said the state would get the money as soon as the verifica­tion of the projects was done.

The minister led some mem­bers of the committee on the ver­ification of expenditures made by state governors set up by President Muhammadu Buhari to the state.

He said that the team is man­dated to verify the projects and for­ward same to the committee, add­ing that the Federal Government is ready to refund all authentic claims to the state.

In his remarks, Obiano said that the projects were done, not because the state is financially buoyant, but for their economic importance to the people.

Obiano, who was represent­ed by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Nkem Okeke, cited the portion of Nkpor flyover which was recently reconstructed to buttress his posi­tion. He said but for the interven­tion, it would have been disastrous and stressed the need for the refund of the money to enable his adminis­tration to channel the funds to oth­er projects.

The Commissioner for Works, Chief Lawrence Chinwuba, said that the visit was necessary so that the Federal Government has a proper assessment of the expen­ditures on the federal roads in the state.

The minister later toured all the federal road projects funded by the state government in com­pany of the Zonal Director, Fed­eral Ministry of Works, Mr. Yemi Oguntominiji, the Secretary to the State Government and Prof. Solo Chukwulobelu.

Governor Obiano had several­ly demanded for a pay back of N27 billion from the Federal Govern­ment being the state resources he spent on the federal roads.

He initially demanded for N25 billion but later added N2 billion incurred on the reconstruction of Nkpor Bridge on the Onitsha-Enu­gu Expressway divided into two by a devastating gully erosion.