Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has voiced skepticism over Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s assertion that the federal government allocated N30 billion to all 36 states for palliative measures, suggesting it might be a hopeful prophecy rather than a concrete reality.
Speaking to journalists on Saturday, Governor Eno clarified that the federal government had only disbursed N2 billion to state governments, categorizing it as a loan that must be repaid.
His remarks come amidst conflicting claims, with Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State also disputing Akpabio’s statement.
It would be recalled that Senator Akpabio, in one of the plenaries he presided over, alleged that the funds were distributed to state governors address food scarcity.
Responding, Governor Eno criticized the spread of misinformation and called for accountability in government allocations while tackling the unsubstantiated claim of the Senate President.
“On the palliative, thank God he was on the palliative committee. The money that the Federal Government gave to me or to the state, and indeed, to all states, was N2 billion, even though the federal government said it was N5 billion. We are yet to receive the balance of N3 billion.
“Even the N2 billion, the federal government has written to us that it has to be refunded. If we refund the money that was generally believed to be funds that was given to the state, it means that it is the state that did the palliative.
“Beyond the N2 billion, we spent over N5 billion, even when you add the salaries that we paid for three months, we spent over that.
“On the one that states have been given N30 billion for palliative, I think it is a prophecy, and I pray the prophecy will come to pass.
“We are in the state and people are there in Abuja. Maybe there is a plan like that. So, I join in praying that it should come. It will help us a lot. But as I stand here today, we have not received more than N2 billion from the federal government on palliative, and we are made to understand that it was a loan.”
