PDP Faction Tackles Rivers on N130BN Loan

PDP Faction Tackles Rivers on N130BN Loan

BACKSTAGE moves by the Rivers State Government to keep their moves to secure some credit facilities under wraps, has drawn the ire of a faction of the ruling Peoples Democrtic Party (PDP) in the state.

A report by the Political Correspondent of AkanimoReports, an on-line citizen mews service, says government functionaries at the state Information Ministry have been making frantic efforts to downplay the credit facility deal.

The state Publicity Secretary of the PDP faction, Jerry Needam, in a statement in Port Harcourt, the state capital, said they are of the view that explanations aimed at addressing and allaying fears in citizens on government’s move to borrow N30billion from Zenith Bank and secure N100billion long term bond from the capital market can only mean that the State government leaps before it looks.

Information Commissioner, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, a journalist and a business magazine publisher, says it is not true that government is moving to secure credit facilities. According to her, there are laid down procedue to secure bonds, pointing out that the matter has not even come up at their cabinet meeting.

But, correspondents covering the state House of Assembly, claimed that the matter came up in parliament for endorsement though some very few lawmakers were opposed to it.

For the opposing PDP faction, ''our ears tingled as the information boss in the state attempted to divorce government from the loan. I wondered what huge and expensive joke it was for Gov. Rotimi Amaechi to mute the idea and swiftly overrun the State assembly for approval if he was only toying with the idea or was merely being advised to consider the outrageous loan.''

They are claiming that government is attempting to play on the sensibility of the people of the State, and described her defense of government position as an expensive risk to take. Adding, they said, ''Mrs. Semenitari would have been better appreciated if she had come out with government apologies to the State rather than the attempt to explain or justify the move which already has deeply hurt Rivers people''.

The part is wondering why government will be conselled to visit the capital market only for them to sway lawmakers in the State to approve his request to that effect without a single debate to subject the suggestion to a test of popularity among cross-sections of the society.

According to the aggrieved party persons, ''the alacrity with which they okayed the request showed it was a forgone conclusion solidly contrived and to be implemented without hesitation, even when no specific projects were tied to it.

''There are further arguments in several quarters that the governor and his aides did not give proper thought and consideration to the loan before going public''.

ENDS

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