‘Unverified’: Akpabio apologises to govs over N30bn payment

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has apologised to state governors over his comment on the payment of N30 billion to state governments to tackle hardship in the country.

Akpabio had, at plenary in Abuja last Wednesday, said an unverified report showed that state governors received N30 billion each from the federal government to ameliorate food situation across the country.

The governors later refuted the Senate President’s claim.

However, Akpabio, in a statement issued by his spokesman, Eseme Eyiboh, on Monday, February 26, 2024, apologised to the governors.

Eyiboh said: “The office of the President of the Senate has been drawn to various misconceptions in the public domain on the statement credited to the President of the Senate in plenary of Wednesday, February 21, 2024, during the presentation of a report of the joint Committees on Finance, Agriculture/Food Sufficiency, Banking and Insurance.

“During the session, the President of the Senate commented on the payment of an unverified cumulative sum of about N30bn to the sub-national governments by the Federal Government for various interventions to ameliorate the food situation of our citizens at the sub-national governments.

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“The unfortunate conjectures to take away the kernel in the material facts of FAAC payment are rather regretted. In considering the well-intended motive of urging state governments to collaborate with the Federal government of President Bola Tinubu to facilitate strategic interventions to mitigate the prevailing economic situation in the country remains the underpinning motivation in the comment.

“The President of the Senate is not oblivious to the fact that State governments are functional partners in all the efforts of the current administration of President Bola Tinubu and are also valuable Stakeholders’ in the various legislative engagements of the legislature in creating the nexus between the legislature and the people.”

He noted that the Senate President has always demonstrated commitment to team building and will not do less in the circumstance, urging the governors not to be distracted by any misunderstanding of the context and true meaning of the statement.

“The President of the Senate recognizes and appreciates the current efforts of the governors at ameliorating the adverse effects of the current inclement socio-economic environment and therefore invites more hands on the plough to complement the renewed hope agenda,” Akpabio’s spokesperson added.

The Star