Why should a cargo airport in Damaturu cost Yobe taxpayers over ₦100 billion, and why is the Federal Government only now paying it back?

President Bola Tinubu has written to the Senate asking for approval to refund the Yobe State Government a whopping ₦100.509 billion for building the Muhammadu Buhari International Cargo Airport in Damaturu.

The money won't be cash. Tinubu wants the Debt Management Office (DMO) to issue a promissory note, basically an IOU from the Federal Government, to settle the bill.

This isn't a new bill. The airport was built by the Yobe State Government under former Governor Mai Mala Buni, who argued the North-East needed a cargo hub for agriculture, livestock and humanitarian operations.

The Federal Executive Council had already approved the refund back in May 2023, just days before President Buhari left office. The Bureau of Public Procurement then audited the project and priced it at ₦100.509bn. Now, Tinubu needs the Senate's nod to make it legal.

And Yobe isn't alone. This is a familiar pattern in Nigeria, states build federal airports, roads or bridges upfront, then wait years for a refund. Ebonyi, Anambra, and Delta have all been through the same queue.

For people in Yobe, one of Nigeria's most insurgency-affected states, the airport is more than concrete. It's about jobs, moving farm qproduce out quickly, and bringing aid and investors in without a 3-hour road trip from Maiduguri or Kano. But the cost? ₦100.5bn is nearly a third of Yobe's entire annual budget. That's money that could have gone to schools, clinics and IDP resettlement.

Precedent: If Senate approves, it signals Tinubu will honour FEC refunds inherited from Buhari.

Debt: Promissory notes add to Nigeria's domestic debt stock, already over ₦74 trillion as of Q1 2025 per DMO data.

Accountability: Lawmakers must confirm if ₦100.5bn represents value for money for a cargo airport yet to operate at full commercial capacity.

The Senate President has referred the request to the Senate Committee on Aviation and Debt. They'll scrutinise the BPP report, then recommend approval or otherwise. If approved, the DMO issues the note, and Yobe can either hold it to maturity or discount it at a bank for cash, usually at a loss.

For context, federal takeovers of state airports are rare, but when they happen, maintenance becomes Abuja's problem. Yobe residents will be watching to see if this means more federal flights, staff and investment.

As reported by cbinews.tv, the President has urged the Senate to expedite action.

Source/ Cbinewstv

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