NewStats: 3,262,811 , 8,178,235 topics. Date: Tuesday, 03 June 2025 at 04:45 PM 5mms

Not less than 20 states in Nigeria are currently seeking financial refund incurred on behalf of Federal Government for infrastructure project developments, especially federal road repairs in their territories.

According to New Telegraph’s investigation, about 20 states, whose claims have been verified in the last one year, are mounting pressure on federal authorities to pay them N791.2 billion spent on road repairs.

Further findings showed that the debt had lingered for almost three years despite various verification exercises carried out and assurance.

Some of the states include
Akwa Ibom – N140 billion;
Ogun – N124 billion;
Lagos – N51 bil lion;
Oyo –N33 billion;
Enugu – N35 billion;
Osun – N19.8 billion;
Plateau – N22 billion;
Adamawa – N5.1 billion;
and Ebonyi–N32 billion.

Others are Delta – N15 billion;
Zamfara – N57 billion;
Ekiti – N12.2 billion;
Anambra – N25 billion;
Ondo – N11.4 billion;
Rivers – N105 billion;
Jigawa – N17 billion;
Kwara – N18 billion;
Abia – N10 billion;
Cross River – N50 billion
and Bayelsa – N8.7 billion.

Recently, the Governor of Cross River State, Mr. Ben Ayade, lamented the refusal of the Federal Government to refund over N50 billion, which the state government spent in rehabilitating many federal roads in the state.

The governor stated this when he inspected a 15km road rehabilitation of the Tinapa-Odukpani federal highway. Ayade said the state had earlier spent N25 billion, adding that with the ongoing rehabilitation, the expenditure on road repairs on behalf of the Federal Government would rise beyond N50 billion.

In Plateau State, Governor Simon Lalong said that one of the requests he put before President Muhammadu Buhari when he visited was the refund of N22 billion spent on federal roads.

“The president granted our request and, within two weeks, it was processed by the Federal Ministries of Works, Finance and it was captured in the 2018 Budget, which has been ed, but now we are waiting for payment from the Ministry of Finance,” he said.

In Delta State, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa also charged the Federal Government on sustainable road maintenance and called for the payment of money spent in rehabilitating and reconstructing failed federal roads across the state.

According to the state Commissioner for Works, Olorogun James Aguoye, the indebtedness has accumulated to over N15 billion, accusing the federal authority of undue delay in making necessary refunds to the state government.

He said the state had awarded eight-length of federal roads, running to 149.01 kilometres, out of which two had been completed while six are ongoing.

Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun said his state was expecting a refund of N124 billion expended on rehabilitation and reconstruction of federal roads in the state.

Amosun told the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, when the latter paid him a courtesy visit recently in Abeokuta that the state had, so far, expended about N223 billion on federal roads.

Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, had also appealed to the Federal Government to consider payment of outstanding N33 billion spent on federal roads in the state.

Ajimobi, who made the call during an official visit by the Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing II, Hassan Zarma, to his office, said he spent his first four years in office executing massive road projects across the state.

Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Olalekan Ali, the governor said: “We plead to use your good office to credit us N33 billion we spent on federal road projects in the first four years of this istration.”

Also, in Osun State, Governor Rauf Aregbesola called on the Federal Government to offset N19.9 billion used to execute road projects in the state.

Commissioner for Works and Transport, Kazeem Salami, stated that the total sum of money for the execution of federal road projects in the state was N48.9 billion, saying that N19.8 billion out of the money being claimed to be paid back to the state government coffer was the certified amount spent so far on the projects.

Reacting, the Federal Director of Works, South-West, Mr. Lekan Busari, an engineer, told New Telegraph in a telephone chat that it was true that the Federal Government owed some states, which legitimately executed works on federal roads.

For any state to embark on repairs of federal roads legitimately, he said there were laid down criteria and procedures for such intervention.

According to Busari, the Federal Government had taken cognisance of this and has started the process of refund, adding that some states have been paid, while others that have not been paid have their names on the list of those to be paid.

While speaking to journalists in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State recently, Fashola urged governors across the country to desist from intervening on federal roads and other Federal Government projects within their axis without approval.

According to him, the Federal Government wants to first clear as much debts as possible, which was accumulated by the previous governments.

He said by law, the Federal Government supervised all federal highways, adding that “anybody who wants to intervene on federal road must ask us for intervention. If you don’t do this, you have broken the law because you cannot break the law in order to do good.

Yes, we understand that citizens need roads, but you can’t do evil in order to do good, it is just unacceptable. You must apply to us and we must see the standard and we must notify the president and council.”

He hinted that his ministry had verified some claims that meet the standard of the Federal Government.

https://newtelegraphonline.com/2018/07/20-states-seek-n791bn-refund-spent-on-federal-roads/

Uhmm, billions on roads that are not up to standard... No be small thing!!!


Oh, danm... I didn't even realise I'm d first to comment. Mehn, work for Brandon no easy oh. But still dey bless God, naija no be am!!!

and where are the roads that they claiming they do

did I just see Abia?where is the road they are claiming refund on?

Kawara state self dey among......

..

You see, this is why most state Governors refused to work on federal roads.

Just take a look at Eleme junction- Oyigbo road. A road oooo. It's in a bad state.

I was waiting to see Niger and kogi on the kiat and I wasn't disappointed those 2 governors have not done anything for their states since 2015...APC is fraud

FG should just hand over the roads to the state govt.

Wetin dem wan make we do na

Yea


Akpabio fixed several federal



govt roads as governor

Ayade has spent not less than 25billion on fed rd repairs



one chance

The only truthful state there is Anambra....

which road did delta state govt constructed with 15 billion...

I don't even have time to discuss Ogun and Osun state own.

I can agree for lagos, enugu and jigawa....

Abia...where is the road?

these are fundamental constitutional issues bedeviling Nigeria. there should be proper devolution of power from the center so that these issues will be things of the past

So this guyz wan claim sense! Campaign Money abi? Thieves!

Can the Federal Government refund the states such voluminous amounts of money?

Polithiefians will take 70% of that money

I that Rotimi Amaechi constructed the section from Igwuruta to boundary with Owerri. (The said road es through Ubima, his hometown but it is a Federal Road).

A lot of Federal roads are bad, an example is Ihiala-Orlu road. This road is used by travelers going to Akwa-Ibom, Calabar, Ebonyi etc. Another Road is the East West Road section from Warri to Port Harcourt. That road has taken too long to complete. The list is endless.

PLEASE tell me the road Abia State constructed. Is it from Aba to Okigwe or where? That state, with Kogi are plagued with bad leaders The federal road from Aba Road in Port Harcourt to Umuahia is bad(correct me if I am wrong).

Again, From Uyo (boundary with Cross River State) to Calabar federal highway is bad. That road is a death trap.

Ogun state doesn't cut it at all. The number of dilapidated roads are quite disturbing meanwhile amosun focuses on unnecessary white projects. FG should not give him a dime jare till he fixes Akute-Alagbole-Lambe, Agbara-Atan, mowe, Sagamu and other roads.

As for Akwa Ibom, mouth sealed

abia shld nt be dia biko

the money should be paid after election.

1shortblackboy:
these are fundamental constitutional issues bedeviling Nigeria. there should be proper devolution of power from the center so that these issues will be things of the past

Some ragheads in some region of this country would rather spread chaos than accept reality.

Nigeria must be restructured datz all.

crispus09:
and where are the roads that they claiming they do

I wonder o.. Except few states, others will renovate a state road and expect refunds from FG. What then is the state allocation used for?