Controversy has continued to trail the Delta state share of N27.6 billion breakdown released by federal government in its recent breakdown of the N516.38 billion first tranche of the London Paris Club Refunds paid to states.
Delta state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Patrick Ukah has vehemently refuted that, there was no such of amount of money released to the state adding that not even a kobo was released to the state by the federal government.
Ukah reacting to the N27.6 billion said to be share of Delta state, made it clear that its all lies adding that “Let me just tell you there was no money released from Paris Club. What we were hearing is that is that they said that is what we have been paid. I am repeating to you that no one kobo of such was given to Delta State”.
According to the Commissioner, the only money the state has received so far from Paris Club Refund was the N14.7 billion which he said he had explained in a newspaper advert how the state expanded the money.
“The only money received is the N14.7 billion which I explained in a full page advert on how state spent that money. Do you remember? If you don’t I will find a copy and send to you again. If you listen to Wike yesterday, Wike of Rivers State said no such money was paid to any of us. So where that statement was emanating from is fraudulent imagination. It is not true, you understand.
“So, please there is nothing like that and I will react to it officially. I am repeating to you that it was only that N14.7 billion which I did a full page advert to explain how that money was expended. You remember that period but you wait tomorrow morning I will give you details but just to let you know that that thing is not correct, there is nothing like that, thank you very much”.
Our correspondent has waited for 24 hours since the Commissioner made the promise of furnishing us with the details of the refunds but never got back to us at the time of this report.
Meanwhile, the Chief Press Secretary, (CPS) to the Delta State governor, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, had sometime ago said that the Federal Government cannot direct the state government on what to do with their portion of the London-Paris Club refund accruing to the state.
“Is it the federal government that will tell us what to do with our money? The money belongs to us”, the CPS stated.
Aniagwu reiterated that when the second tranche of the money comes, the state would look into matters of priority and not the payment of salaries, pensions as ordered by the President.
“When the money comes, we will look into our priority. There are instances where you first attend to matters of urgent need”, Okowa’s CPS stressed.
From the breakdown given by the Director of Information, Federal Ministry of Finance, Alhaji Nai’Inna Salisu Dambatta, last week in Abuja, Delta State ranked second among five states that got the highest amount of refund from the Federal Government.
The states are Rivers N34.92 billion, Delta N27.6 billion, Akwa Ibom N25.98 billion, Bayelsa N24.89 billion and Kano N21.7 billion.
