President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has formally requested the House of Representatives to grant concurrent approval to the Federal Government for the reimbursement of a total sum of ₦24 billion to two northern states.
The President’s formal appeal was detailed in a letter directed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, and was presented on the House floor during Thursday’s plenary by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu.
The President is specifically seeking the House’s authorization to reimburse over ₦15 billion to the Kebbi State Government and ₦9bn to the Nasarawa State Government.
It is worth noting that Kebbi State had initially utilized the funds for the development of the Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport in Birnin Kebbi, the state’s capital, while the Nasarawa State Government allocated ₦9bn for the establishment of the Lafia Cargo Airport in Nasarawa.
In his appeal to lawmakers, the President clarified that aviation, including airports, aircraft safety, and passenger and goods carriage by air, fall under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government as stipulated in the 1999 Constitution (As amended).
The letter read, “Establishment of a promissory note programme in favour of the Kebbi and Nasarawa State governments for the reimbursement of the respective costs of the construction of newly built airports in those states that have been taken over by the federal government.
“The House of Representatives is invited to note that at the Executive Council meeting of the Federal Executive Council FEC, which was held on the 23rd day of May 2023, it was approved as follows:
“That a promissory note in the sum of ₦9,000,542,651,786.11 be issued to the Nasarawa State government as a refund for the takeover of the newly constructed Nasarawa Airport.
“That a promissory note in the sum of ₦15,137,336,95.88 only be issued to Kebbi State state government as a refund for the takeover of Bernin Kebbi International Airport.
“The House of Representatives may wish to note that by the provisions of item three of the second schedule of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, aviation, including airports, safety of aircraft, and carriage of passengers and goods by air, fall under the exclusive legislative list.
“The impact of this is that ownership, regulation, and control of airports in Nigeria are exclusive to the Federal Government.
“In light of the above, I urge the House of Representatives to consider and grant concurrent approval for the establishment of the promissory notes programme in favour of the Kebbi and Nasarawa state governments, respectively, as prescribed in paragraph two above.”