Betta Edu, minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation, was earlier reported to have approved funds for flight tickets and airport taxis for the ministry’s staff to Kogi.
Indigenes of the state have however cried foul as they insist that the state has no single airport.
The approval of the flight tickets is contained in a leaked internal memo dated November 6, 2023.
The memo which went viral over the weekend was issued by the national programme manager, requesting the total sum of N72,374,500, was titled: ‘The Disbursement Under the 2023 Grant for Vulnerable Groups Programmes in Kogi State, 2023’, and was approved by the minister.
In the memo, the sum is appropriated for the minister’s “advanced team” to travel by air for an “event” in Kogi. The event is also being investigated to ascertain if it actually held or planned to hold.
Each of the minister’s “advanced team” members, including aides, received the sum of N200,000 for flight tickets, N20,000 for airport taxi, and local running expenses and DTA depending on grade level — all amounting to N72,374,500.
The sum of N300,000 was earmarked for the minister’s air ticket.
However, Kogi has no airport to its name.
In November 2020, Yahaya Bello, Kogi governor, met with then-President Muhammadu Buhari at Aso Rock, seeking the establishment of an airport in the state.
Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Bello said he asked Buhari to ensure that Kogi got funds for the airport.
“I paid a visit to the president to brief him about the confluence state, the development and challenges we are facing and also to convey a message form the people of Kogi state that the social bond between the government and the governed is still very strong,” he said.