From Princely Onyenwe, Abuja
Imo state Nigeria has continued to quake since the short-lived Supreme Court Sacked Governor H/E Emeka Ihedioha raised a thunderous alarm of 205Billion Naira debt incured by the Governor Hope Uzodinma adminstration with the space of two years in Office.
Ihedioha went further to tag such recklessness as “Unbridled Borrowing” of a tune of 205 Billion naira by Uzodinma’s administration as gathered by 9News Nigeria.
Since this exposition was made, the All Progressives Congress APC led government of Senator Hope Uzodinma has challenged Ihedioha to make open to the public his verifiable facts to prove his allegation against the sitting government.
Since then, information has it that the said Ihedioha has grown fraudstrated beards and cannot present his facts. In all, it seems as if it is a mere political jamboree and an allegation that holds no water while we wait to hear from the APC government of Uzodinma.
In this edition, PDP Spokesperson, ONWUASOANYA FCC JONES has opened up to present some facts to hold brief for Ex-Governor Ihedioha.
Read Him:
205 BILLION NAIRA DEBT: WHY IMOLITES WILL LISTEN TO IHEDIOHA
Few days ago, at faraway Santa Clara in California, United States of America, a former governor of Imo State, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha raised an alarm over what he tagged; “unbridled borrowing ” by the Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodinma led administration.
According to the short-lived Imo governor, Imo’s indebtedness has more than doubled from the level he brought it down to within his less than eight months on the saddle as Imo State governor.
It should be noted that this is not the first time, the former Deputy Speaker is raising alarm over Imo’s economic wellbeing. In fact, since his controversial ousting from office, he has been mostly decent in his utterances and interventions over Imo State affairs.
Unlike some people who have failed to come to terms with the reality that they are no longer in office, Ihedioha has reasonably taken his situation in his strides and moved on, while probably, planning to relaunch, when the time is right. But, for the meantime, he has left the new governor to do his job, restricting his interventions to issues that border around good governance and the people’s well-being.
While his immediate predecessor, His Excellency, Senator Rochas Okorocha vehemently denied leaving any debts in the State, Ihedioha, outlined an account of Imo’s financial health as soon as he became governor, which pegged the Imo State debt burden at over 100 billion Naira as at May 29th, 2019 and made a commitment to reducing this debt as quickly as possible. It is important to note that these figures are backed up by records provided by the Debt Management Office of the Federation, hence, should be credible.
Understandably, seven months is such a short time to be able to pay off debts accrued over more than a decade, it is the duty of the current administration to tell us how much they met in ‘DMO recognized’ debt as at 14th January, 2020 and as well how much of that debt they have repaid within their time in office and how much they have borrowed since then.
No one who understands public governance and economy will be averse to obtaining loan facilities, as long as they are deployed to addressing the State’s developmental, social and economic problems. What should become a problem to any responsible citizen is when such borrowings are “unbridled”, according to Chief Ihedioha.
That is to say; you borrow without having a definite and reasonable need for the funds you are borrowing. Another way of saying this is that the governor is a careless borrower. That means he borrows wherever and whenever there is money to be borrowed, without thinking about the long and even short term implication of such borrowing on the economic wellbeing of the State.
Unfortunately, since the former governor made this accusation, none of the many spokespeople of the government has been able to come up with any logical or even readable response. Instead of taking up this challenge and seizing the opportunity to tell Imolites the status of Imo’s economy, especially, as it affects the indebtedness of the State, what I have been reading are mostly a rabid rehash of obloquies.
Until, the State Government comes up with clearly worded explanations on how much they met as debts, how much they have paid back, how much they have borrowed, what they used the borrowed funds to do and the current amount owed by the State, then, every reasonable Imolite will have no option but to listen to Chief Ihedioha and really take him seriously.
No reasonable citizen will look the other way while some people in government borrow away their future, but we can even understand it if Imo’s debt is rising and we are seeing the necessary investments made with the funds which shall benefit the State and its citizens.
9News Nigeria (Owerri)For inquiries on this news contact 9News Nigeria Imo State @08036856526
