The Ekiti State Government on Wednesday described as falsehood taken to the ridiculous level, claims by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State that the Federal Government had refunded N22 billion to the Governor Ayodele Fayose-led government for the state’s construction of federal roads.

According to the state government, Ekiti State is currently being owed a sum of N12, 220,513,024.08.

According to a statement by Special Assistant to Governor Ayodele Fayose on Public Communications, Lere Olayinka, the government held that between 2004 and 2014, Ekiti State government spent a sum of N15.7bn on construction and rehabilitation of federal roads in the State, out of which N3.5bn was refunded.

Meanwhile, the government said N1.5bn was refunded in November 2004 while N2bn was refunded in December 2007.

Olayinka said in the statement: “Our attention has been drawn to the misinformation by the APC concerning refund of money spent on federal roads by the Ekiti State government, and we wish to state the Ayodele Fayose-led government has not received any refund from the federal government.

“In actual fact, to date, the total amount spent on federal roads is N15.7bn and we wonder how the federal government could have paid Ekiti State N22bn when N15.7bn was spent and N3.5bn was refunded in 2004 and 2007, leaving N12.2bn unpaid.

“In November 2004, dualisation of 6.7km Ado township road was awarded for N1.5bn, in November 2005; extension of the dualisation of 8.075km Ado –Ikere was awarded for N1.3bn, construction of 2.1km Ido-Otun-Kwara State border was awarded in January 2007 for N1.7bn and
dualisation of 19.3km Ado-Iworoko-Ifaki road was awarded for N7.4bn by the Segun Oni’s government while the Kayode Fayemi-led government increased it to N11bn.

“In November 2011, Fayemi-led government awarded 1.65km Fajuyi-Teaching Hospital Road for N447.5m, 4.9km Ojumose-Basiri/Police Hqs-Iyin road for N1.5bn, dualisation of 0.8km Old Garrage-Ojumose Road for N1.03bn, 13km Old Garrage-Ado-Ikere road for N2.4bn and construction and rehabilitation of 11.3km Ikere-Ondo State Boundary Road for N9.2bn.

“Total cost of federal roads projects embarked on by the State government is N30.1bn, out of which N15.7bn had already been paid to contractors. Out of this N15.7bn already expended by the state government, N3.5bn was refunded by the federal government, leaving N12.2bn unpaid till date.

“Instructively, the APC government of Fayemi paid a sum of N1.4bn to China Railway Engineering Nigeria Limited on the Ikere-Ondo State Boundary road project. No work was done to justify the N1.4bn paid and anyone who intends to find out can simply visit the site.

“Also, of all the road projects, only the dualisation of Ado Township Road awarded by the Fayose-led government in 2004 and the Ado-Iworoko-Ifaki road was approved by the Federal Government.

“All the federal roads projects done by the APC government of Fayemi did not
get federal government approval.”