Reps approve ₦100.5bn reimbursement for Yobe airport

By Gift ChapiOdekina, Abuja

The House of Representatives has approved a ₦100.5 billion promissory note programme to reimburse the Yobe State Government for constructing the Muhammadu Buhari International Cargo Airport in Damaturu.

The approved amount is ₦100,509,017,234.55, following the Federal Government’s decision to take over the newly constructed airport.

The approval followed consideration of a report by the House Committee on Aids, Loans and Debt Management on Wednesday.

Chairman of the committee, Abubakar Hassan Nalaraba, said during a briefing with journalists at the National Assembly, Abuja, that the committee conducted due diligence and inspected the facility before recommending the reimbursement.

He said officials of the Federal Ministries of Aviation and Finance, alongside other relevant agencies, provided technical assessments and documentation on the project.

“After due diligence and considerations, and after undertaking comprehensive oversight of the airport, receiving the reports of technical officials at the Ministry of Aviation, Ministry of Finance and the accounting office, we recently considered and approved the reimbursement of the airport to Yobe State Government,” Nalaraba said.

He added that the committee found the quality of the airport’s infrastructure and equipment satisfactory, noting that professionals had certified the facilities as meeting the required standards.

The committee’s report stated that the Federal Ministry of Aviation inspected the completed airport and confirmed that the quality of work met the standards required for its takeover by the Federal Government.

It also found that the Yobe State Government had paid the contractors who executed the project, while the Bureau of Public Procurement certified that due process was followed.

According to the report, the committee examined submissions from the state government, the Federal Ministries of Finance and Aviation, the Federal Executive Council and the Bureau of Public Procurement.

It also reviewed contract agreements, certificates of completion, evidence of payments to contractors, due-process reviews and the bureau’s certificate of no objection.

President Bola Tinubu had requested the National Assembly’s approval for the promissory note programme in a communication read on the floor of the House on October 13, 2026.

The request was made pursuant to the Debt Management Office (Establishment) Act, 2003, and the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007, which provide for legislative approval of the programme.

Promissory note programmes are used to settle outstanding Federal Government liabilities, including reimbursements to state governments for projects executed on behalf of the Federal Government.

Speaking on the airport’s economic significance, Nalaraba said the facility would add value to residents of Yobe State and create opportunities for investment.

“When you see a critical infrastructure being constructed in a state, I think it’s a value addition, first, to the people of the state. Secondly, it will attract some level of investment to the state and the nation at large,” he said.

A member of the committee representing Yobe State, Mohammed Jajere, said the airport could serve as a cargo hub for the North-East, particularly for transporting agricultural produce and raw materials.

“Yobe, as you all know, is an agrarian state. We are into agriculture and a lot of raw materials are abundantly available in the state, where we expect that the cargo airport will be used as a hub, especially in the North-East region, where you have these cargo airports,” he said.

He added that the facility could help transport agricultural products from the region to other markets.

However, journalists raised concerns about the commercial viability of airports in Nigeria, citing a report attributed to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria indicating that only three of the country’s 22 domestic and international airports were commercially viable.

In response, Nalaraba said the committee relied on assessments by the relevant aviation authorities, stressing that lawmakers were not technical specialists in airport operations.

“The Ministry of Aviation, FAAN, in my earlier statement, I said technical FAAN has all gone and satisfied that this airport is viable and is ready for commercial use,” he said.

He maintained that the project had undergone the necessary administrative and technical reviews before being presented to the National Assembly.

The committee chairman also clarified that the reimbursement was not fresh funding for construction but repayment to Yobe State for money already spent on a project the Federal Government had decided to take over.

“This is reimbursement. This money has been spent. The Federal and state governments spent this money to construct that cargo international airport,” he said.

He added that the state government undertook the project despite aviation falling within the Federal Government’s exclusive legislative jurisdiction.

On safeguards against additional financial liabilities, the committee said the Federal Government’s takeover meant responsibility for the airport, including its future maintenance and development, would rest with the federal authorities.

The committee further indicated that the reimbursement would be a one-off payment, although detailed repayment arrangements were not fully explained during the briefing.

The approval places the focus on the Federal Government’s management of the airport and whether the facility can attract sufficient commercial activity, particularly through agricultural cargo operations, to justify the public investment.