Melaye used Saraki to frustrate N10bn refund to Kogi – Gov Bello

Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has said that Sen Dino
Melaye of Kogi West used his closeness to former Senate President
Bukola Saraki to frustrate the refund of N10 billion to the
state.

President Muhammadu Buhari had Tuesday requested the National
Assembly for the approval of the refund. The Director-General of
Media and Publicity to the governor, Mr Kingsley Fanwo said, “Kogi
State would have gotten the refund long ago but for the obstructive
tendencies of the former Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial
District, Dino Melaye.

“He was able to obstruct the refund to the state because of his
closeness to the then-Senate president.

“It should be noted that other states had gotten their refund
except Kogi State. The president, by writing to the Senate for the
approval of the refund has displayed his father figure as the
father of the nation who supports and promotes equity and
fairness.

“A good number of contractors who executed the contracts then,
many of whom are from the state, are still being owed. It is
therefore unpatriotic for anyone to advocate that the state be
denied what is due to it.

“The refund has absolutely nothing to do with the forthcoming
election and PDP should stop misleading the public.”

Meanwhile, the PDP has asked the National Assembly to invoke its
statutory powers and directly channel the N10.069 billion
Presidential Funds for payment of salaries and pensions of
“suffering” Kogi State workers.

The PDP in a statement yesterday by its National Publicity
Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said it was scandalous that President
Buhari would seek to mislead the National Assembly by asserting
that the fund was for projects done by the state government on
behalf of the federal government.

The party argued that in reality no one can point to any such
project executed by Governor Yahaya Bello in the last four years in
the state.

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