Roads: Ekiti Govt Denies Receiving N22bn From FG

Ekiti State government has debunked the claim by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state that the federal government had refunded N22billion to the Governor Ayodele Fayose-led government, being money spent on federal government roads in the state.

Describing the allegation as falsehood taken to a ridiculous level, it explained that “Ekiti State government is being owed the sum of N12, 220,513,024.08 as at today.”

In a statement signed by special assistant to the governor on Public Communications, Lere Olayinka in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, the government said, “Between 2004 and 2014, Ekiti State government spent a sum of N15, 720,513,024.08 on construction and rehabilitation of federal roads in the state, out of which N3.5billion was refunded.”

The government said N1.5billion was refunded in November 2004 while N2billion was refunded in December 2007.

The statement reads in part: “Our attention has been drawn to the misinformation by the APC concerning refund of money spent on federal roads by the Ekiti State government, and we wish to state that Ayodele Fayose-led government has not received any refund from the federal government.

“In actual fact, to date, the total amount spent on federal roads is N15.7billion and we wonder how the federal government could have paid Ekiti State N22billion when N15.7billion was spent and N3.5billion was refunded in 2004 and 2007, leaving N12.2billion unpaid.

“In November 2004, dualisation of 6.7km Ado township road was awarded for N1.5billion; in November 2005, extension of the dualisation of 8.075km Ado –Ikere was awarded for N1.3billion; construction of 2.1km Ido-Otun-Kwara State border was awarded in January 2007 for N1.7billion and dualisation of 19.3km Ado-Iworoko-Ifaki road was awarded for N7.4billion by the Segun Oni’s government, while the Kayode Fayemi-led government increased it to N11billion.