The member representing Aba South state constituency in the Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Obinna Ichita, has said that Abia State does not need any fresh loan as the current administration is winding down.
The lawmaker was reacting to a comment credited to Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers State who while inaugurating a library at Obingwa, threatened to expose persons he said blocked the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, loan for Abia State.
Wike claimed that Abia State was being denied access to the CBN loan as a punishment for Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu’s support to him.
But Hon. Ichita, in a swift reaction, said that Abia’s debt profile was already high, adding that it is risky for an outgoing administation to take loans.
The All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, lawmaker in a press statement, challenged Gov Ikpeazu to first, account for the previous loans obtained by his administration before thinking of a fresh loan.
” On the recent claims by one of the Governor’s associates that some persons stopped the CBN loan to Abia State apparently as punishment to Gov. Ikpeazu for standing with him, I want to say that Abia State does not need any further loans at this twilight of Ikpeazu’s administration.
” It is risky for Gov. Ikpeazu to go for fresh loan in less than eight months to the end of his tenure when he has not given any good account of how he deployed the previous loans he obtained”, Ichita said.
The lawmaker further said:”The State Government should also tell us what the Government has achieved with over 100 billion naira loan it has incurred in domestic debt.
“This is different from other sources of revenue like Statutory allocation, Ecological Fund , 13 % derivation, financial donations from international donor agencies and so on. No one mentions the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).”
The lawmaker who is the APGA deputy governorship candidate for 2023, accused the PDP-led Government of under-developing Abia State.
“Why is Ukwa land, the only oil-producing community in Abia , in complete ruins with no basic infrastructure?
“What did the Government do with the money meant for the flood mitigation project in Ifeobara, Ariaria ? What happened to the World Bank loan of 56.4 million US dollars ?
“Why has the Government decided to ignore, abandon and maltreat the people in Port Harcourt Road, Aba whose roads and houses were destroyed by Abia State Government?
“Are people in Uratta, Ozuomba, Ohanku, Obohia, Owerri Aba, Omuma and Faulks road still part of Abia State?”
Hon. Ichita also refuted claims that a certain presidential candidate in Nigeria stopped the CBN from disbursing money meant for the construction of Ariaria market in Abia, dismissing it as “a fat lie.”
“I challenge Abia State Government to make public, any personality or any authority that has withheld any money due to Abia state.
“The assumption by the people in charge of Abia state government that the people of Abia State are naive, primitive and uninformed is the height of insult on the industry and intellect of Abia people.”
The lawmaker urged Abians “to ignore the propaganda by Government and join in the efforts to birth a new Abia”.