President Bola Tinubu has requested the approval of the House of Representatives for the Federal Government to refund N24 billion to the Nasarawa and Kebbi State governments. This reimbursement is for the takeover of airports constructed by these states.
The president’s request was communicated in a letter addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen. The letter was read during Thursday’s plenary session by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu.
In his letter, President Tinubu detailed the refund amounts, seeking over N15 billion for Kebbi State and N9 billion for Nasarawa State. He explained that aviation, including airports, aircraft safety, and the carriage of passengers and goods by air, falls under the Federal Government’s jurisdiction as provided by the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The letter stated, “Establishment of a promissory note programme in favour of the Kebbi and Nasarawa State governments for the reimbursement of the respective costs of the construction of newly built airports in those states that have been taken over by the federal government.”
It further explained the Federal Executive Council (FEC) decision made on May 23, 2023: “That a promissory note in the sum of N9,000,542,651,786.11 be issued to the Nasarawa State government as a refund for the takeover of the newly constructed Nasarawa Airport. That a promissory note in the sum of N15,137,336,95.88 be issued to the Kebbi State government as a refund for the takeover of the Birnin Kebbi International Airport.”
President Tinubu emphasized that according to the constitution, the ownership, regulation, and control of airports in Nigeria are exclusively the Federal Government’s responsibility. “In light of the above, I urge the House of Representatives to consider and grant concurrent approval for the establishment of the promissory notes programme in favour of the Kebbi and Nasarawa state governments, respectively,” he stated.
Kebbi State had previously allocated funds for the construction of the Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport in Birnin Kebbi, while the Nasarawa State Government invested N9 billion in building the Lafia Cargo Airport in Nasarawa.
The Deputy Speaker, who presided over the plenary, read the letter aloud to the House members.