Headline

24 States Get N477bn Refund For Expenses On Federal Road Projects [See States]

Published

3 years ago

June 22, 2022

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Wednesday, said that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration has so far reimbursed state governments about N447 billion for expenses incurred on construction and rehabilitation of federal roads and bridges.

Alhaji Mohammed made the disclosure while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said said the release was the first tranche of such reimbursement.

The Minister announced that following the money already released to the affected states, the council in its Wednesday’s sitting, approved the sum of N18 billion refund for Yobe State out of the N20 billion bill it submitted.

Mohammed gave a breakdown of the amounts of such reimbursement by some of the states, stressing that the reimbursement was for projects implemented before the coming of the present administration.

According to him, most the beneficiaries are opposition states, indicating that the Buhari administration does not discrimination contrary to claims in some quarters.

He explained: “I think it’s important to say that, well it’s true that we’re just reporting this particular memo, which is the refund being sought by Yobe State government; Yobe State government is asking for the sum of N18,663,843,109 as reimbursement for five federal roads, which they rehabilitated or constructed.

“A committee was set up to inspect the claim, they were actually found to be true. They reviewed the N20 billion they asked for and certified 18 billion as refund due to Yobe State for undertaking the construction/rehabilitation of these federal roads on behalf of federal government.

“But this is not the first time. We have, since 2015, made refunds to about 24 states. If my records are correct and I want to put on record here that but for the benevolence of this administration, many states would have sunk under.

“You will remember that by the time we came in’ about 27 states of the federation were unable to pay salaries, they owed salaries and could not pay. It took this federal government to really bail many of them out so they could pay not only salaries, but also they could pay the arrears.

“When the price of crude crashed, this same government gave each state what is called a bailout and some of the states today that complain that they’ve never benefited from the federal government, especially the PDP states, are the ones that have taken the lion share of this reimbursement.

“The records I have here say that Akwa Ibom got to the tune of N61 billion from this federal government for works done on behalf of the federal government and especially before we came in. Rivers had upwards of N100 billion. But we show that for this administration, it does not matter whether you are PDP or APC or you’re Labour or you’re APGA. This administration looks at you as a Nigerian and when largesses are being distributed, it does not favour you just because you are from APC state or from a friendly state.

“The first tranche of these reimbursements about N477 billion was refunded to many states; Edo got N8 billion; Lagos got N106 billion; Niger, N333 million; Ogun, N37 billion; Delta 56 billion; Ebonyi, 10 billion; Enugu N12 billion; Jigawa, N10 billion; Ekiti, 10 billion and this was the first tranche.

“Second tranche and the last tranche, I think if I remember, I think it’s Yobe and two other states that are supposed to be the next batch.

“We have Yobe, which has gotten its N18 billion today for works that they undertook on behalf of the federal government.:

He also affirmed that most of the states would have gone down but for the bailout funds made available to them by the administration.

While noting that the reimbursements were for the work implemented in the previous administration, he said: “It was actually as a result of this reforms we’re making that we said henceforth, you cannot take on your own federal responsibilities.”

He further said: “I think this is a good opportunity to also let you know exactly what the federal government has done between 2015 and today, to ensure that states stay afloat.

“Honestly, without the federal government bailout, most states would have gone under.

“Like I said, apart from these reforms that were made, I said earlier on that when we came in, 27 states could not pay salaries and federal government had to bail those 27 states out. Not only did they give them money to pay salaries, they also gave them bailout to pay arrears.”

Mohammed, who clarified that the reimbursement was different from the bailout, explained: “Refunds are when you refund for jobs that were done on behalf of the federal government. That was the first one that we spoke about and we’re speaking about it because Yobe just completed its own.

“But before then, I have here phase one of 24 states that were refunded for what they did on behalf of the federal government, even before we came in.

“These claims were not based on what they did on our behalf, but what they did in previous administrations. Number two, I have said that but when we came in, 27 states could not pay salaries. So, we bailed them out to be able to pay salaries and pay their arrears.

“Now, in addition, we found out also that the states were in difficulties and they could not start any work, in terms of infrastructure, and federal government gave each of them N10 billion.

“When the price of oil again, collapsed and states were in trouble, federal government again gave out a bailout of a billion naira per month to each state for eight months and N800 million per month, per state, for over eight months and the records are there.

“When also the states complained that they did not benefit from the Paris debt refund, the federal government, again, gave states their own share of Paris Fund and I can let you know that Jigawa State in particular, received N40 billion of this Paris Club Refund.

“Next time I come, I’ll give you what every state received in terms of Paris Club.

Again, when states complained to federal government for deducting what they owed federal government, Mr. President also said they should be refunded because times were hard.

“I’ve said this to let you understand that in spite of things some states are saying about federal government, many of them would have gone under without this government because there’s no constitutional duty on part of federal government to do what we’re doing.

“Only last week, Lagos State government came to Federal Executive Council with a memo, asking for us to convert the Lagos State Lekki Concession Company loan to a sovereign guarantee and what that means, effectively, is that Lagos State government could no longer bear the burden of paying for the loan they took to construct Lekki. So, federal government accepted.

“By doing so, now they’re given a longer term to pay the loan and lower interest. So, these are some of the things that the federal government has been doing to ensure that there’s stability and everybody is happy, irrespective of whether you are APC or PDP.”

Headline

US Congressman Accuses Kwankwaso Of Complicity In ‘Death Of Christians’

Published

15 hours ago

November 3, 2025

Editor

United States Congressman Representing West Virginia’s 2nd District, Rep Riley Moore, has accused ex-presidential candidate and former Governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, of “complicity in the death of Christians” in Nigeria.

This was after Kwankwaso criticised US President Donald Trump for designating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern because Christians are allegedly being killed in “record numbers.”

The former governor stated that it is important to emphasise that Nigeria is a sovereign nation whose people face different threats from outlaws across the country. “The insecurity we face does not distinguish based on religious, ethnic, or political beliefs,” he said.

He called on the US to assist Nigeria with better cutting-edge technology to tackle these problems, rather than posing a threat that could further polarise the country.

“The Nigerian government should also consider appointing special envoys from its distinguished diplomats to engage the American government. Additionally, it is necessary to appoint permanent ambassadors to represent Nigeria’s interests on the international stage.

“To my fellow countrymen, this is an important moment where we should emphasise unity of belonging over division,” he said in a statement on his official X account.

Reacting, Rep Moore reminded Kwankwaso of how, during his tenure as Governor of Kano State, he instituted Sharia Law, which made blasphemy punishable by death.

He said on X, “Governor – do you care to comment on your own complicity in the death of Christians? You instituted Sharia law. You signed the law that makes so-called blasphemy punishable by death.”

He said this a few days after US Senator Ted Cruz said he is pushing legislation that will target those who implement blasphemy and Sharia laws in Nigeria.

He said, “I am deeply gratified to President Trump for making this determination. I have fought for years to counter the slaughter and persecution of Christians in Nigeria, and this year introduced legislation that will lock in the designation made today.

“Today’s designation is a critical step in holding accountable and changing the behaviour of Nigerian officials who have facilitated and created an environment conducive to the outrages in Nigeria. My legislation implements additional steps, including targeting those who implement blasphemy and sharia laws in Nigeria, and I am committed to working with the administration and my colleagues to advance my bill and implement these necessary measures. Today’s decision by President Trump is a great one, and I thank him for his strong leadership.”

Headline

Trump To Receive Full Menu Of Options To Stop Nigeria Genocide – US Rep, Moore

Published

16 hours ago

November 3, 2025

Editor

United States representative for West Virginia’s 2nd congressional district, Riley Moore, has revealed that President Donald Trump would receive a full menu of options that he can use to try to stop the alleged Christian genocide in Nigeria.

Speaking to Fox News, Moore stated that Trump would be presented with a range of policy options on how to address the situation.

“We are going to get right to work and get to the bottom of what is happening and give President Trump a full menu of options that we can use to try to stop these killings,” Moore said.

Moore’s comment is coming as Trump hinted at possible military action against Nigeria.

Recall that the US leader had over the weekend warned that he could order US military action if the purported genocide in Nigeria continues

Meanwhile, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu is expected to meet with Trump in the coming days.

Headline

VIDEO: Again, Trump Insists On Christian Killings In ‘Record Numbers In Nigeria’

Published

23 hours ago

November 3, 2025

Editor

United States President, Donald Trump, has again insisted on his condemnation of alleged Christian genocide in Nigeria, reiterating that Christians are being killed in record numbers in the West African nation.

Contents
Christian Genocide Saga
Country of Particular Concern
Tinubu fires back at Trump
Trump’s Guns-a-blazing threat

Trump, who spoke to journalists aboard his Air Force One aircraft while returning to White House on Sunday following a weekend trip to Florida, said the United States is not going to allow the “killings” to continue.

“They’re killing record numbers of Christians in Nigeria… They’re killing the Christians and killing them in large numbers. We’re not going to allow that to happen,” Trump said in a short CNN video sighted by Tribune Online.

Christian Genocide Saga

While allegations of Christian genocide are not new, the saga began again recently after a US comedian and HBO host, Bill Maher, accused Islamist groups of carrying out a genocide against Christians in Nigeria.

“I’m not a Christian, but they are systematically killing the Christians in Nigeria. They’ve killed over a hundred thousand since 2009. They’ve burnt 18,000 churches. These are the Islamists, Boko Haram. This is so much more of a genocide attempt than what is going on in Gaza.

“They are literally attempting to wipe out the Christian population of an entire country,” Maher said.

Similarly, US Senator Ted Cruz claimed that Nigerian government officials were “ignoring and even facilitating the mass murder of Christians by Islamist jihadists.”

Cruz also lamented that Christians in the country were being targeted for their faith by terrorist groups and “are being forced to submit to sharia law and blasphemy laws across Nigeria.”

He said it was “long past time to impose real costs on the Nigerian officials who facilitate these activities,” adding that he had introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act to the US Senate to sanction such officials.

In the same vein, Riley Moore, who represents West Virginia’s 2nd District in the US Congress, wrote to the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, urging him to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern.

Moore also called for a suspension of arms sales and technical support to Nigeria until the government demonstrates commitment to ending what he described as “a reign of persecution and slaughter against Christians.”

However, the Nigerian government, alongside Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), rejected these claims, describing the allegation as a harmful misrepresentation of the country’s complex realities.

Country of Particular Concern

While the controversy surrounding Christian genocide claim was already winding down, the US President’s post on his Truth Social account on Saturday, accusing the Nigerian government of allowing what he described as “killing of Christians” brought the issue again to global attention.

Trump, in the post, alleged that Christianity in Nigeria faces an existential threat from radical Islamist groups who he claimed have been targeting Christian communities in different parts of Nigeria, and announced the designation of Nigeria as a country of particular concern.

“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a “COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN” — But that is the least of it.

“When Christians, or any such group, is slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 Worldwide), something must be done! I am asking Congressman Riley Moore, together with Chairman Tom Cole and the House Appropriations Committee, to immediately look into this matter, and report back to me.

“The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other Countries. We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World!”

Tinubu fires back at Trump

Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in a statement on Saturday, responded to the allegations from the US President, stating that the country guarantees religious freedom for all.

“Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty,” the president wrote in a reaction he personally signed on Saturday and posted on his X handle, @officialABAT.

Trump’s Guns-a-blazing threat

Barely 24 hours after his first comment, President Donald Trump doubled down on the claim, announcing a stop to all aid to Nigeria and ordering his Department of War to prepare for possible action in Nigeria.

Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said the military intervention from the U.S. will “completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”

He wrote, “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria and may very well go into that now disgraced country, “guns-a-blazing,” to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.

“I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!”

Confirming the development, US War Secretary, Pete Hegseth, announced that the department is preparing for military operations in Nigeria, giving the Nigerian government two options.