N83.5Bn Loan: PDP Attacks Abiodun, Says Ogun Roads In Shambles Despite Huge Debt

The Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called out Governor Dapo Abiodun over his plan to borrow a sum of N83.5bn from the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).

InfoStride News recalls that Governor Abiodun, while appealing to the commission to ensure speedy approval of the loan, said it would be used to complete the ongoing Agro-cargo Airport in Ilishan Remo, and to boost agriculture, tourism and others.

But, the PDP, kicking against what it called “another voyage of desperate borrowing”, demanded that the “Prince Dapo Abiodun-led government should release more information into the public space, by giving clear reasons why N83.5bn loan is being sought. Aside from this, it is expected that the ruling APC government would find it responsible to first explain what has been done with other previous loans obtained earlier.”

In a statement made available to the media by its Publicity Secretary, Akinloye Bankole, on Thursday, the opposition party in Ogun challenged the state government to give full details of the loan, including the repayment plan.

“We challenge the ruling government to tell the public, in full detail, the status of the loans and all attached conditions of repayment to this fresh 83.5bn loan. The government also owes it a duty to the people of Ogun State to explain why the state government cannot fund its projects without driving the state into a web of indebtedness,” Bankole queried.

The PDP expressed concern that the Abiodun-led government had borrowed more than N60bn since it came on board, saying, however, that workers and pensioners were being owed, while roads are in bad conditions, despite the borrowings.

“We make bold to inform the public that the ruling APC government under the uninspiring watch of Dapo Abiodun has already taken a loan of more than 60billion Naira since it came on board. Yet, the government still owes 17 months workers’ contributory deductions. The government still owes pensioners. All roads around Ogun State are unprecedentedly deplorable. The same government has also refused to provide pipe-borne water. Clearly, the ruling APC government can not be trusted with another round of loans,” it was alleged.

He spoke further that: “As a responsible political organization, we know that democratic governance is ultimately about the people, we therefore call on Members of the State House of Assembly to be vigilant and join forces with men of good conscience to rescue Ogun from unnecessary burden of indebtedness by summoning the needed courage to shun this flagrant recklessness for a speedy approval of another N83.5bn as requested.

“It is equally germane to further appeal to men of good conscience to plead with Prince Dapo Abiodun and Members of the Ogun State House of Assembly to shun any temptation that is capable of impoverishing the people. This becomes extremely important because there is no amount of billions of dollars that would rescue the ruling APC government from the wrath of the people come 2023.”