President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has said his assertion that governors collected ₦30billion each from the Federal Government for food security was misconstrued.
He said he holds the governors in high esteem, adding that his motive was to seek their partnership with the government at the centre to ameliorate the food crisis in the country.
He stated this in a release by his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Honourable Eseme Eyiboh, to clear the air on the controversies generated by his declaration, last week, that the governors were given the money, apart from the statutory monthly allocations.
Senator Akpabio stirred the hornet’s nest when he declared at the Senate plenary, last Wednesday, that the sum of ₦30billion was given to each of the governors, through the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), for food security.
He further said the governors were given the money to address the problem of food security in their respect states.
However, the state helmsmen faulted the claim as they said none of them received such an amount from the Federal Government, through the FIRS or by any other means.
They also claimed that the only fund they got from the Federal Government, outside of statutory allocation, was N2billion out of the N5billion promised to all states in the wake of the removal of fuel subsidy.
Oyo State governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, last Thursday, said there was no element of truth in the claim by the President of the Senate.
Makinde, who is the vice chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), said his state did not got any N30billion from neither the FIRS, nor the Federal Government or any of its agencies for food security.
Clearing the air on the controversy, Akpabio stated in the release by his official spokesperson that, by the claim, he only sought to facilitate necessary interventions to address problem of food security and other economic crisis in the country.
Eyiboh wrote: “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 #30billion 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.
“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 also valuable stakeholders’ in the various legislative engagements of the legislature in creating the nexus between the legislature and the people.
“The President of the Senate has always demonstrated commitment to team building and shall not do less in the circumstance.
“He therefore urges the sub-national governments 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 plow to complement the renewed hope agenda.”
