The 36 Governors at the monthly National Economic Council, NEC, on Thursday pleaded with the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to hand over federal roads in various states governments.
The NEC meeting under the chairmanship of the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, noted that the Excess Crude Account stood at $2,309 billion as at 22nd September, while Stabilisation Account Balance was N4.354 billion as at 26th September.
The NEC meeting under the chairmanship of the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo noted that the Excess Crude Account stood at $2,309 billion as at 22nd September, while Stabilisation Account Balance was N4.354 billion as at 26th September.
Briefing State House correspondents after the meeting at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja, the Governor of Ebonyi State, Chief Dave Umahi said it was agreed that the governors would get a strategic plan on how to rescue the federal roads that have dilapidated.
Governor Umahi disclosed that the Minister of Finance made a presentation at the NEC on special accounts of the federation and gave the closing balances that also included the Development of Natural Resources Account which was N84.693 billion as at 26th September, 2017.
He said that there was a gentleman agreement entered into between the Minister of Finance in the NEC and the 35 governors except Lagos State in a programme called budget support as a result of the down turn of economic challenges that endangers a number of states not being able to pay salaries.
According to him, “we came to understanding that every month the total sharable revenue in the federation account any time if it is less than N600billion, the Minister of Finance will give each state budget support.
“We concluded that in the last twelve months and that continued for the second year. States have done very well, some states have been able to pay their accumulated salary debts and then also increased their commitment to infrastructure and generation of revenue.
“However, from July, that was not paid and in the month of August I think about seven states were paid because according to the minister, other states did not comply with the set down rules, the most outstanding of that was the non remittance of VAT from the states,
“So those seven states have been paid but more states have complied but we requested that those states that have complied should be paid.
“The good news is that in the month of September, the sharable amount is N630billion so there would be no budget support for the states.”
He further said that the minister of Budget and National Planning informed council that a new secretary of National Economic Council Mr M Alibor has resumed duties following the retirement from service of the former secretary Mrs Nana Fatima Mede.
He said Mr Alibor was the secretary to council by virtue of the fact that he was the Permanent Secretary in the ministry of budget and national planning.
He said council was highly concerned about the failure of roads and that even after fixing the roads by the federal government, they collapse within six months.
He said, “We identified that the over loading is one of the major factor because in road design you take an axial load, most of the time you don’t use an axial load of more than 35 tonnes but we have noticed that a lot of our trucks carrying majorly fuel do 45,60,70 tonnes and that’s a major concern to state governors.
“We said that the minister for Works and Housing should come up with a strategy to regulate the weight of heavy trucks plying the roads which have been fingered as the root causes of road collapse.
“Lastly the state governors are very much concerned about these failures, it’s being agitating our minds and we are thinking about strategies and we are soliciting that federal government give out some of the federal roads to states so that states can fix the roads through investors and toll the roads.
“We believe strongly that it will be more effective because of the number of federal roads that are being handled by federal government. There is no amount of budget that can fix it but if some of these roads are given out to state government and they maintain a handful of it and of course the budgeted funds in the annual budget could also be given to states.”
