KUNLE OLUTAYO
Barely seven months to his exit date from office, Niger state Governor, Abubakar Sanni Bello, has sought and got the approval of the state legislators to access a N14 billon loan facility for the completion of some ongoing projects across the state.
The Speaker of the House of Assembly, Barrister Abdullahi Wuse, who was the immediate past State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in the Dr. Muazu Babaginda Aliyu-led administration of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), read out the governor’s letter seeking the approval of the House.
However, in what looked ‘like a novelty’ the House of Assembly expressly approved the loan of N14 Billion for the state government to finance some selected projects to completion.
The approval of the letter sent by the state governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, and read during the plenary by the Speaker, Abdullahi Bawa Wuse, was before the presentation of the 2023 budget proposal at the Assembly complex in Minna.
The governor, in the letter, explained that the state is desirous of accessing the loan facility to bridge the funding gap created by the shortfall in the monthly cash flows from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee.
According to the letter, it stipulated a tenure of 60 months of exposure, that translates to a manageable payment cost. Hence, the facility is structured to ease its securement with comfort for repayment.
In a very unusual businesslike manner, the state House of Assembly unanimously approved the loan, which would be obtained through Fidelity Bank without referring to the relevant Committee of the House for deliberations.
