Reps approve ₦100.5bn refund to Yobe for Damaturu cargo airport

The House of Representatives has approved a ₦100,509,017,234.55 promissory note programme to reimburse Yobe State for building the Muhammadu Buhari International Cargo Airport in Damaturu, which the Federal Government is now taking over.

The approval followed the adoption of the report of the House Committee on Aids, Loans and Debt Management at Wednesday's plenary. The committee's chairman, Abubakar Hassan Nalaraba, briefed journalists at the National Assembly in Abuja after the session.

President Bola Tinubu had asked the National Assembly to approve the refund in a letter read on the floor of the House on October 13, 2026. The request was made under the Debt Management Office (Establishment) Act, 2003, and the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007, which require lawmakers to approve such debt-settlement arrangements.

Why the committee backed the refund

Nalaraba said the panel inspected the airport and reviewed documents from the Federal Ministries of Aviation and Finance, the Federal Executive Council, the Bureau of Public Procurement and the Yobe State Government before recommending approval.

According to the committee, the Ministry of Aviation inspected the completed facility and confirmed the quality of work met the standard for a federal takeover. It also found that Yobe had paid the contractors, while the procurement bureau certified that due process was followed.

Nalaraba stressed the money is not fresh funding for construction. "This is reimbursement. This money has been spent," he said, noting that the state built the airport even though aviation falls under the Federal Government's exclusive legislative list.

He said the airport would add value to residents and attract investment. A committee member from Yobe, Mohammed Mugbejajere, said the facility could serve as a cargo hub for the North-East, especially for farm produce and raw materials. "Yobe, as you all know, is an agrarian state," he said.

Reporters asked about the commercial viability of Nigerian airports, citing a report attributed to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) that only three of the country's 22 airports were profitable. Nalaraba said the committee relied on aviation authorities, adding that FAAN's technical team was satisfied the airport is viable and ready for commercial use.

What happens next

With the House approval, the Federal Government takes over the airport, including responsibility for its maintenance and future development. The committee said the reimbursement would be a one-off payment, though the payment schedule was not fully explained.

The airport's long-term value will depend on whether it can attract cargo operators and give farmers in Yobe and the wider North-East a reliable route to market.