The Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Works, Mr. Ephraim Inyang has decried federal government’s silence over the N140billion debt it owed the state for various federal roads projects it executed in the state.
According to him, all efforts made so far in this present administration to recover the fund have remained futile as the debt is impacting negatively on the state’s ability to take on other pressing needs of the state.
However, the commissioner was quick to reveal that indications emerged last week that payment of about N68 billion out of the total debts is likely to be paid soon by the apex government.
Inyang noted that “The last administration did perfect documentation and I believe if the N68billion that is ready for payment was paid, Governor Udom Emmanuel would have used it to do so much work.”
“If God decides to bless the state like He has done before, which I hope He will do again, and we have the kind of resources that were previously available, I can bet my chest that when the governor leaves office in 2023, Akwa Ibom will be a different place that the indigenes will be so proud of, because the governor is proactive, focused and predetermined to get result.”
Continuing, Inyang argued that “If the Federal Government pays the N68billion, being part of our refund, the state will wear a different outlook.”
He however expressed worry on how some federal agencies are causing project disruptions by way of giving contracts on projects already embarked upon by the state government, saying the
Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) remains the worst culprit in this duplication crisis in the state according to the Commissioner.
