Joe Effiong, Uyo
Akwa Ibom State has said it has no obligation ploughing back the money refunded to it by the Federal Government for constructing federal roads in its domain to construct other federal roads.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Ita Enang, has told Akwa Ibom State government to reinvest the alleged N78 billion said to have been refunded to the state by the Federal Government for federal roads constructed by previous state administration, to construct dilapidated Calabar-Itu Road.
But the state Commissioner for Finance, Linus Nkan, told Enang to complete the Calabar-Itu Road which he (Nkan) believes full amount for its reconstruction had since been released based on what Enang had said before the February/March general election.
Though the commissioner declined to mention the actual amount the Federal Government refunded to the state, he however said the amount was far below the N78 billion often declared by Enang, stressing that the amount refunded was already in public domain.
Nkan, however, said the amount refunded is far lower than what the president’s aide has been dropping.
“Instead of him going about making wild statements, he should make sure the said Calabar-Itu Road is completed soon because I believe the whole amount for the job must have been released to him. That is what he he had been telling the entire state. Or was it just an election scam?