Refund N33bn expended on federal roads in Oyo – Ajimobi tells FG

Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo state on Wednesday demanded a refund of N33 billion from the Federal Government, being money the state spent on reconstruction and rehabilitation of federal roads in the state.

Ajimobi made this demand while receiving a federal government’s delegation to the state, led by the Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing, Suleiman Zarma in Ibadan, the state capital.

The Governor who spoke through the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Olalekan Alli declared that the first four years of his administration was committed to road construction and rehabilitation.

He stated that, ” A huge amount of money was expended on the projects and the money had yet to be refunded by the Federal Ministry of Works”.

Ajimobi said that the funds expended on such projects should at the completion of the projects be released to the states through the ministry in charge.

He, however, called for speedy completion of the Lagos -Ibadan expressway and the Oyo Ogbomoso expressway, which have claimed many lives.

Ajimobi said, “Roads in some parts of the state such as Iseyin-Okeho, Iseyin-Baasi-Ago-Are, Oyo-Iseyin and Saki Polytechnic and Saki Junction-Agric roads are all begging for urgent federal government intervention”.

He said that the state government would have embarked on the rehabilitation of the roads which he said were of economic importance to the state, but for paucity of funds.

He called on the federal government to hand over the maintenance of all federal roads in the country to the respective state governments.

The governor reiterated his administration’s support for the ongoing national housing projects in Ogbomoso and Ibadan.

He stated that the additional land requested by the Federal Ministry of Housing for the second phase of the housing project had been approved.

Ajimobi said that the necessary land documentation in terms of titles for both phases would be made available.

Zarma while speaking appreciated the state government’s hospitality, saying the delegation had visited Ekiti and Osun states.

He gave the assurance that the federal government was committed to completing its road projects across the country.

Zarma said that the ongoing federal government’s projects across the country were aimed at improving commerce and bring the nation out of recession.