Taraba Govt. to FG: Reconsider Decision On Refund To States Over Federal Roads

The Taraba state government has enjoined the Federal Government to reconsider its decision not to reimburse funds spent by state governments on the rehabilitation of federal roads across the country.

This is coming on the heels of the re-award of contract for thereconstruction of the Bali-Serti road, a federal road that had earlier been reconstructed by the Taraba state government.

The state Commissioner for Works, Mr Irimiya Hammanjulde, who spoke to newsmen at the weekend in Jalingo said the decision not to refund monies spent by state governments on federal roads was unfair and untenable, especially when such interventions were done in consultations with the federal government.

According to him, if such funds were repaid they would be deployed in completion of ongoing road projects as well as execute other important ones in the state.

He listed some of the roads that were either completed or still completed or still ongoing to include the Jalingo-Kona phase two road, the 115 klm Bali-Serti road, Takum Katsina-Ala road, the Takum-Chanchanji road and 82km Mararaba-Baisa-Abong road.

The Commissioner said the dualisation of 18 km NYSC-Kpantinapu road, the extension of Nukkai bridge as well as six pedestrian bridges and the Jalingo flyover, were other federal projects executed by the state.

He said that the government intended to construct more street roads within the Jalingo metropolis, but regretted that it could not, for now, owing to paucity of funds.

He faulted the re-award of a contract for the rehabilitation of Bali-Serti-Gembu road by the federal government.

Hammanjulde explained that the state government had already completed the rehabilitation of the 115 klm Bali Serti road, a segment of the project, which he said was being put to use already.

He however, commended the federal government for recently awarding the rehabilitation of the Serti Gembu road project through the CBN funding.

“As you all know, the Federal Government re-awarded the Bali-Serti-Gembu road project in which one segment of the road, that is Bali-Serti, had been rehabilitated by the state government. We have already completed the Bali-Serti part of the road which is already being put to use,”he said.

He added that the governor had appealed to the federal government to rather refund funds that had been used in the execution of federal roads in the state.

“With the refund, the state can use it to complete ongoing road projects and execute other life touching projects in the state,” he said.