Deji Elumoye in Abuja
The Senate has accused the aides of President Muhammadu Buhari of misinforming him about the issuance of promissory notes approved by the National Assembly for refunds to Taraba and Delta State Governments for projects executed in trust for the federal government.
The upper legislative chamber, in a statement issued Wednesday by the Media Adviser to the Senate President, Yusuph Olaniyonu, noted that the letter by President Buhari to the Senate in which he claimed that National Assembly’s approval for refunds to the two states through the issuance of Promissory Notes, for projects executed on behalf of the federal government was different from what the Federal Executive Council approved was wrong and must have arisen from misinformation to the President by his aides.
According to the statement, the Senate approved the exact figures for Taraba and Delta States that were submitted to it by the executive through the Ministry of Finance as stated on page 402 of a document titled “Federal Ministry of Finance Submission of Federal Government of Nigeria Outstanding Liabilities to National Assembly, May, 2018”.
“We have decided to make this clarification in order to set the records straight and disabuse the minds of the general public. We believe the President must have been misinformed and misadvised by his aides while writing the letter he sent on this issue to the National Assembly”, the statement said.
“The Senate would like to clarify that the breakdown which the executive through the Ministry of Finance submitted to the National Assembly showed that the outstanding liability due to Taraba State is N22, 254,062,330.08 while that of Delta is N67, 982, 398, 701. 28 while the total for the two states is N90, 236, 461, 031. 36.
“Therefore, the National Assembly approved the figures submitted to it by the Ministry of Finance as approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for projects executed on behalf of the Federal Government. At no time did the executive forwarded the figure of N78, 601, 631, 430, 16 to us and we do not know where the President got that figure from.
The President had claimed in his letter to the National Assembly dated March 5 that “while the Federal Executive Council approved a total sum of N78, 601, 631, 430.16 as reimbursement to Delta and Taraba State Governments, the National Assembly approved N90, 236,461, 031.36, which is higher than the amount approved by the Federal Executive Council”.
