By Victor Lewis
Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate and Delta APC Governorship Candidate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has warned banks against granting a new loan facility of N40 Billion to the outgoing Gov. Okowa government in the State.
Omo-Agege who gave the warning in a statement he personally approved recently, noted that Deltans would not accept the lending of an additional loan facility by any bank, financial institution, credit agency or otherwise, to Gov. Okowa during the remaining tenure of the administration.
According to him, Delta State has already over-borrowed, adding that it will not be further encumbered by the financial recklessness and profligacy of the outgoing Okowa’s administration.
The statement titled: ‘Notice To All Banks: Delta State Rejects Further Borrowing’ reads: “It has come to the notice of the public and to the knowledge of the All Progressive Congress APC that the government of Delta state is yet again negotiating a loan facility for N40 billion (forty billion naira).
“It is our understanding that the need for such a facility has not been made public, neither has the purpose for which the credit is being sought.
“It is also our knowledge that a bill seeking the approval for such a facility has not been presented before the House of Assembly and neither has approval been obtained.
“Now therefore be it known to all banks, lending institutions, credit agencies etc that any facility, loan, credit, advancement or borrowing by any other name known made or advanced to the government of Delta state in the course of the remaining tenure of the present administration will not be acceptable to the people of Delta state.
“The next administration and the citizens of Delta state will not be further encumbered by the rascality and profligacy of the present government.
“We state unequivocally that the state is over borrowed and the citizens will not accept the encumbrance and obligations of further borrowing.
“Any bank, lending institution, credit institution etc which lends or advances money to the government of Delta state at this time, does so at it’s own risk. Please be warned.
“I am Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and I approved this message.”
It would be recalled that as the August 2022, the Gov. Okowa’s outgoing PDP administration has committed the State to more than N400 billion borrowed loans, part of which he has squandered on the pursuit of his Vice Presidential ambition and the financing of a PDP governorship ticket in the State.
While thousands of Deltans retirees who left the service since 2014 are yet to be paid their entitlements, Okowa has continued to milk the state dry of the huge revenue totalling over N4 trillion received from 2015 till date and has gone further to borrow over N400 billion with virtually no project on ground to justify his profligacy.
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