By Ezeocha Nzeh
Senate president, Godswill Akpabio has tendered his unreserved apology to Nigerian Governors Forum, over his revelation last week that the federal government has released additional N30b to each of the 36 state governors to fight the current hardship in the country.
The statement from Akpabio was however declared as false by the governor’s, who called on the senate president to with come out with prove of the said disbursement or tender an unreserved apology to states.
Having failed to prove his claims, the Senate president, met with NGF Chairman, on Monday where he tendered his apologies to state governors over the false information
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, finally apologised to the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) after meeting with the NGF chairman, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State in Abuja
Akpabio had, at a plenary sitting last Tuesday, said an “unverified report” indicated that state governors received N30bn each from the Federation Account to cushion the effect of inflation and the high cost of food prices.
The statement has since been generating unrest among the public, thereby people holding their governors accountable for the money they did not collect.
However on Monday, Akpabio in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Eseme Eyiboh, retracted the statement, saying the SP held the governors in high esteem.
The statement reads below:
“During the session, the President of the Senate commented on the payment of an unverified cumulative sum of about N30bn to the sub-national governments by the Federal Government for various interventions to ameliorate the food situation of our citizens at the sub-national governments.
“The unfortunate conjectures to take away the kernel in the material facts of FAAC payment are rather regretted. In considering the well-intended motive of urging state governments to collaborate with the Federal government of President Bola Tinubu to facilitate strategic interventions to mitigate the prevailing economic situation in the country remains the underpinning motivation in the comment.
“The President of the Senate is not oblivious to the fact that state governments are functional partners in all the efforts of the current administration of President Bola Tinubu and are also valuable stakeholders’ in the various legislative engagements of the legislature in creating the nexus between the legislature and the people.”
Eyiboh added that Akpabio has always demonstrated commitment to team building and shall not do less in the circumstance.
He, therefore, urged the sub-national governments not to be distracted by any misunderstanding of the context and true meaning of the statement.
He added, “The President of the Senate recognises and appreciates the current efforts of the governors at ameliorating the adverse effects of the current inclement socio-economic environment and therefore invites more hands on the plow to complement the renewed hope agenda.”