A’Ibom Govt accuses Buhari’s aide of kick-backs on road project
Akwa Ibom State government says it strongly suspects that Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Ita Enang, must have collected the money meant for the construction of Calabar – Itu road project.
The government maintained that it would insist on this position until both Enang and the Federal Government step out to confess to the people of Akwa Ibom State that the contract was merely awarded as a ploy to canvass for votes from Akwa Ibom during the last general election.
But Sen Enang had in a recent chat with journalists in Uyo called on the state government to reinvest the money refunded by Federal Government for federal roads earlier constructed by the state to fund the Calabar -Itu road project.
In an interview with newsmen in Uyo over the weekend, the state Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Linus Nkan, said the presidential aide has no right to dictate for the state how it should utilise its resources.
Nkan said that Enang’s claim of N72 billion as the amount refunded to Akwa Ibom State by Federal Government was false as every state has its priorities.
He recalled the passion with which the presidential aide marketed the Federal Government on the project and how contractors were hurriedly mobilised to site before the general election, and how they were pulled out immediately after the election and dismissed Enang as a joker.
“It is true that Akwa Ibom State got some refunds but what is not true is the amount declared by Ita Enang. What Jonathan signed and approved was far higher than what we got.
The Federal Government merely refunded the money it owed the state and did not have have to tell us what to use the money for, because every state has its priority. Ita Enang does not have such right. He is not an adviser to the Governor.
“Is it not the same road that Enang brought contractors with equipment to tell us that the Federal Government had awarded the road for N55 billion? We are even tempted to say he has collected that money. There is something he is trying to hide. I am very sure he has collected that money.
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“The contract that was awarded to him and he misfired the money, now he is even looking for another person to do the road for him. Except he would tell us that it was just for the purpose of election, that he was misleading and misinforming the people about the contract he said was awarded from Calabar, Odukpani, Ikot Ekpene and all of that,” he said.
Nkan disclosed that Akwa Ibom State government, with all the industries added to boost the economy of the state is targeting not less than N100 billion as Internally Generated Revenue for the year 2020.
“Our efforts to boost the economy has boosted our IGR. That of 2019 was almost double what we got in 2018. We shouldn’t do anything less that N100 billion in 2020. As we are doing all these industries, they’ll now pay tax and those employed are also paying taxes to government,” he said.
