The Plateau State All Progressive Congress (APC) administration led
by Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong, is now set to collect over N19 Billion
loan from the Federal Government of Nigeria, as the State House of
Assembly under the leadership of the Speaker, Rt. Hon Peter Azi has
given approval.
Although the approval is beclouded with mixed feelings of members of
the House, the need to temporarily solve the financial needs of the
state, that of the state Civil Servants’ salaries and the pensioners,
readily took the center stage of the consideration and approval.
However, while expressing their opinions on the floor of the House,
some members drew the attention of the House to the fact that the
Federal Government already owes the state N15 Billion Naira. “So, the
wisdom of collecting N14 Billion extra loan from the same Federal
Government was not right.” They stated.
Furthermore, the members had urged the Speaker to set a Committee to
look into the details of the loan in order to know what the N14 Billion
the administration is trying access would be used for before approval.
According to them, “it will be wrong to tie our state, its people and its future to loans.”
For peace to reign in the plenary, the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Yusuf
Gagdi, had urged members to approve the loan while the House enforces
all its oversight functions in monitoring its utilization.
You would recall that Governor Simon Lalong had sent two
communications to the House, seeking for approval of the House to
collect the balance of the N5.2 Billion of the earlier approved N10
Billion bailout loan, while the other is seeking for the approval of the
House for the administration to access a current N14 Billion loan from
the Federal Government to pay Pensioners among other on paid salaries.
You will also recall that among the five states that have meet the conditions of accessing the current loan is Plateau State.
Culled from Reality Newspaper