As Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State continue to get brief on some key sectors of the state, more facts have emerged on the expenditure profile of the N2.9 billion loan taken through the state and local government joint account.
The loan it was learnt was initiated when Alhaji Yusuf Garba Tagwai was the commissioner in the Ministry of Local Government with the mandate of the 25 local government councils (LGCs) and the aim for obtaining the loan was to pay counterpart funds of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) conditional grant scheme but was later used to subsidize 2014 Hajj operations.
LEADERSHIP gathered however that when local government caretaker chairmen met Governor Bello last week Friday, he raised the issue of the loan, as he asked them when he will be invited tocommission the projects that they used the N2.9 billion to execute.
The chairmen it was learnt were taken aback about the loan being used for some projects in their councils and therefore requested to meet the officials of the state Ministry of Local Government where the details of how the loans was used was revealed.
It was learnt that the N2.9billion was used to settle financial transactions in the ministry which included settlement of Hajj subsidy; augment payment for 10 kilometre road; MDGs counterpart funding; and state Universal Basic Education Board.
It was also learnt that the sudden increase in the Hajj subsidy; the by-election in August last year; as well as the rehabilitation of some roads by the Niger Road Maintenance Agency (NIGROMA) were done with the loan.
More Facts Emerge On N2.9bn Loan For LGs In Niger
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