There Is Nothing In Kogi State To Justify The Request Of 10Billion Naira To Kogi State – J.S. Okutepa, SAN – TheNigerialawyer

*Buhari Must Not Take The Patience And Suffering Of The
Masses Of Kogi State For Granted
* Says The President Must Not Be Insensitive To The Complete
Absence Of Governance In Kogi State

Senior Advocate of Nigeria, J.S. Okutepa, has said that the
issuance of a Promissory Note in the sum of N10, 069,692,410.15 as
refund to Kogi State Government for Projects executed on behalf of
the Federal Government should attract attention and reactions of
reasonable persons who are from Kogi or who pass through Kogi or
who know what they go through in Kogi State.

The Learned Silk said this in a press statement, whilst reacting
to the letter written by President Buhari to the Senate requesting
for the payment of the sum of N10, 069,692,410.15 to the state for
projects done on behalf of the Federal Government.

According to him, as far as he knows, there is nothing in Kogi
State to justify the request as there are no visible Federal
Government projects in Kogi State. He further noted that all the
Federal roads in Kogi State are completely in state of impassable
and even the blind can testify to this, stressing that, President
Muhammadu Buhari and the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
must not take the patience and suffering of the masses of Kogi
State for granted. “The timing of this request is to say the least
suspicious. The people of kogi state deserve better. The president
must not be insensitive to the complete absence of governance in
Kogi State.”

“As an indigene of Kogi State, it will give me great joy to see
that the debt owed my state is paid. However, the request, for
Issuance of a Promissory Note in the sum of N10, 069,692,410.15 as
refund to Kogi State Government for Projects executed on behalf of
the Federal Government should attract attention and reactions of
reasonable persons who are from Kogi or who pass through Kogi or
who know what we go through in Kogi State.  One may ask, which
projects did the government of Kogi State execute on behalf of the
Federal government? What are the names of these projects? Where are
they located in Kogi State?

“When were these projects executed and why is the request being
made for the payment now?  As far as I know there is nothing
in Kogi State to justify the request. There are no visible Federal
Government projects in Kogi State.  All the Federal roads in
Kogi State are completely in state of impassable and even the blind
can testify to this. President Muhammadu Buhari and the Senate of
the Federal Republic of Nigeria must not take the patience and
suffering of the masses of Kogi State for granted. The timing of
this request is to say the least suspicious. The people of kogi
state deserve better. The president must not be insensitive to the
complete absence of governance in Kogi State,” he said.

Speaking further, he said that the excruciating and traumatic
pains being visited on the people of Kogi must not be rewarded by
funds that will further enhance financial profligacy. He stressed
that the cry of the people must be listened to; that, there must be
a limit to which the patience of the people of kogi state can be
subjected to for purely primordial partisan interest. He also said
that the mantra upon which the Buhari government was voted is to
provide good governance where the vast majority of the people are
happy and not to reward and encourage inept and bad governance by
approving funds for non- existence projects -that itself is a
species of corruption. “We must not encourage this,” he added.

TheNigerialawyer (TNL) recalls that based on a
resolution passed by the 8th Senate, the President of Nigeria,
Muhammadu Buhari has written to the Senate of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria seeking approval for the Kogi State Government, the sum
of 10Billion Nigeria

As reports put it, President Buhari said his request was based
on the resolution passed by the eighth Senate. The President’s
request which was contained in a letter dated 10th October, 2019,
was for the settlement of inherited local debts and contractual
obligations of the Federal Government to the State for projects
executed on behalf of the Federal Government.