Melaye used Saraki to frustrate N10bn refund to Kogi - Gov Bello

Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has said that Sen Dino Melaye of Kogi West used his closeness to former Senate President Bukola Saraki to frustrate the refund of N10 billion to the state.

President Muhammadu Buhari had Tuesday requested the National Assembly for the approval of the refund.The Director General of Media and Publicity to the governor, Mr Kingsley Fanwo said, “Kogi State would have gotten the refund long ago but for the obstructive tendencies of the former Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Dino Melaye.

“He was able to obstruct the refund to the state because of his closeness to the then Senate president.

“It should be noted that other states had gotten their refund except Kogi State. The president, by writing to the Senate for the approval of the refund has displayed his father figure as the father of the nation who supports and promotes equity and fairness.

"A good number of contractors who executed the contracts then, many of whom are from the state, are still being owed. It is therefore unpatriotic for anyone to advocate that the state be denied what is due to it.

“The refund has absolutely nothing to do with the forthcoming election and PDP should stop misleading the public.”

Meanwhile, the PDP has asked the National Assembly to invoke its statutory powers and directly channel the N10.069 billion Presidential Funds for payment of salaries and pensions of "suffering" Kogi State workers.

The PDP in a statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said it was scandalous that President Buhari would seek to mislead the National Assembly by asserting that the fund was for projects done by the state government on behalf of the federal government.

The party argued that in reality no one can point to any such project executed by Governor Yahaya Bello in the last four years in the state.