The Kebbi Government is ready to defend the N6.7 billion spent on road construction before the Senate Committee on Foreign and Local Debts Management.

Alhaji Abubakar Ladan, the Kebbi Commissioner for Works and Transport made this known in Birnin Kebbi.

The Senate on Nov. 23, stepped down the request of the Kebbi government for the refund of N6.7bn spent on federal roads in the state.

President Muhammadu Buhari had, in September, asked the Senate to approve the requests of the Kebbi, Yobe, and Taraba state governments for refunds for federal road projects they executed.

After considering the request, the Senate stepped down the request of the Kebbi Government for the refund of N6.7bn spent on federal roads in the state.

”The two chambers of the National Assembly wrote separate letters to the State Government to forward to them all relevant documents regarding the construction of the two roads on the Sep. 27 by the Senate and on Sep. 29 by the House of Representatives.

“Fifteen and thirty copies of the two-volume reports were forwarded to the Senate and House of Representatives respectively before the expiration of the deadlines given,” Ladan said.

Ladan said the state was invited by the National Assembly on Oct. 6, to meet with the Aids, Loans, and Debt Management Committees of the two chambers.

“I led a four-member committee to the National Assembly. We were first attended to by the House of Representatives, where we successfully presented our case, which later led to the approval of the reimbursement by the whole House.

“The Senate chairman of the committee directed us to meet with the Clerk/Secretary of the Committee. Some very positive discussions took place and we were told to wait for further directives in the coming days.

“On Oct. 13, I received a letter, at about noon, telling us to appear before the Senate Committee at 2 p.m.,” he said.

The commissioner said he called the Clerk/Secretary of the committee and informed her that there was no way they could make it to Abuja within two hours and requested another day, adding that that was the last they heard from the committee.

He said the road in question includes the 91km Dabai-Mahuta-Koko road (Federal: Route A.I) constructed between 2006 and 2011 at the cost of over N5, billion.

Ladan added that the second was the 42km Malando-Garin Baka-Ngaski-Warra road (Federal: Route F.201) constructed by former Gov. Saidu Usman-Dakingari from 2000 to 2013, along with the six-span bridge (90m) at the cost of N2. 2 billion.