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The House of Representatives has approved the reimbursement of ₦100,509,017,234.55 to Yobe State, following the Federal Government takeover of the Muhammadu Buhari International Cargo Airport in Damaturu.
This followed the consideration and approval of the report of the House Committee on Aids, Loans and Debt Management recommending the establishment billion promissory note programme for the reimbursement of ₦100,509,017,234.55 claimed by the Yobe State government for the construction of the airport, at Wednesday’s plenary.
The chairman, House Committee, Abubakar Hassan Nalaraba, while briefing journalists on the approval, stated the panel conducted due diligence and inspected the facility before recommending the reimbursement. He explained that officials from the Federal Ministry of Aviation, the Federal Ministry of Finance and other relevant agencies provided technical assessments and documentation on the project.
According to him, “After due diligence and considerations, and after undertaking comprehensive oversight of the airport, receiving the reports of technical officials at the Ministry of Aviation, Ministry of Finance and the accounting office, we recently considered and approved the reimbursement of the airport to the Yobe State Government.”
Nalaraba noted that the new airport would provide additional value to residents of Yobe State and create opportunities for investment, stating that “When you see a critical infrastructure being constructed in a state, I think it’s a value addition, first, to the people of the state. Secondly, it will attract some level of investment to the state and the nation at large.”
Similarly, a member of the committee from Yobe State, Mohammed Mugbejajere, said the airport could serve as a cargo hub for the North-East, particularly for the movement of agricultural produce and raw materials.
Mugbejajere said “Yobe, as you all know, is an agrarian state. We are into agriculture and a lot of raw materials are abundantly available in the state, where we expect that the cargo airport will be used as a hub, especially in the North-East region, where you have these cargo airports.”
