…. BAYELSA GOVT YET TO RECEIVE ANY N30 BILLION NAIRA LOAN
… NOTHING LIKE N18 BLN BAYELSA PALM LOAN
We have been inundated with different versions of falsehood and fake news circulating on social media about loan facilities by the Bayelsa State Government.
There are agents of destabilisation working for some wicked paymasters to spread falsehood daily in Bayelsa State. Members of the public should know this and disregard their lies.
The present administration has been very open each time it takes a move to access any loan by securing appropriate legal approval from the State House of Assembly.
For the records, Bayelsa State Government is yet to receive any loan facility of N30 billion naira as being circulated.
While it is true that Governor Douye Diri, acted on the genuine request of members of the Nembe se group to take every step including seeking a loan facility to commence the construction of the historic Nembe-Brass road, approached the State House of Assembly for the loan approval.
It should be noted that loan approval by the Assembly does not necessarily translate into the immediate release of the fund as some mischief makers would want to believe.
While the processing of the N30 bln loan was on, Governor Diri, who is so committed to the Nembe-Brass road project mobilised the contractor, Setraco to commence work.
The clearing on the first phase of the 21 km section has been completed while the sand filling is set to commence.
On the purported N18 billion Bayelsa Palm loan, those spreading the information are misleading the public. There is nothing of such rather the government applied for two separate loans from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) almost 18 months ago.
A loan facility of N10 billion Naira was applied for from the CBN for the development of the Bayelsa Palm but has not been received as of today. There is no such debt burden on the State Government.
Secondly, after 18 months, the State Government only recently received the N8 billion Naira Agricultural loan from the CBN. The CBN loans are available at reasonable interest to all states interested in agriculture. This loan will be judiciously used to drive the massive agricultural initiative of this government in our journey to prosperity.
As part of the drive to invest in agriculture, about 400 Bayelsans have been trained in different aspects of farming.
Governor Douye Diri, is running an open and transparent administration and has nothing to hide. This much many Bayelsans are aware.
