Niger has not received $181m IDB loan — Investigations

The Niger State Government has not received $181 million loan from the Islamic Development Bank as claimed by a former Governor of the state, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu.
Findings have it that the Government of Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello got the nodding of the National Assembly to secure the said IDB loan this year after the request was earlier transmitted on July 26, 2017, but the request was not granted until May this year.
Documents obtained by The Eagle Online showed that the process of securing the loan has been completed at the National Assembly though the money has not hit the state’s account.
It should be recalled that the former Governor of Niger State had during the Peoples Democratic Party’s rally on Saturday in Minna claimed that he secured the approval for the said loan but the money was given to his successor.
The document further revealed that the IDB loan was approved by the National Assembly in May this year, but the Money has not been accessed by the state government as claimed.
It also revealed that the 8th Senate on May 28, 2019 received and considered the report, tagged: “Report of the committee on local and foreign debt, Niger State’s development policy operation credit from world bank and Islamic development bank,” and approval for the loan granted.
Further investigations revealed that based on the report of the committee headed by Senator Shehu Sani, then the Senate looked into it and considered it, and gave the state government the backing to access the loan for its viability.
Similarly, findings revealed that the loan was contained in the report of the House of Representatives committee on Aids, Loans and Debt Management.
The documents showed that the 8th House at its 147th sitting highlighting borrowing request for Niger State under the 2016-2018 external borrowing (roiling) plan, the request was considered and approval given on May 23, 2019.
The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Bello, Mary Noel Berje, told The Eagle Online that the state government was in the process of securing the loan to dualise Minna-Bida Road but the money has not hit the state account.
Berje recalled that the then Commissioner of Finance, Alhaji Zakari Abubakar, had on May 28 this year after the National Assembly gave approval addressed the press on the said loan and the plan to dualise the Minna-Bida Road was made public.
According to her, the state Government has been open on the issue of the IDB loan because the concept of the loan was made public and has been in public domain.