By TYAV SAM TYAV, Makurdi –
Benue State governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, has not borrowed money since he took over as the governor of the state, his Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, has stated.
Kula’s statement, issued in Makurdi on Sunday, came in response to a report in one of the national dailies at the weekend, insinuating that 13 new State Governors, including Benue, collectively borrowed N226.8bn,
According to the report, the 13 state governors had borrowed the said N226.8bn from both domestic and external financiers between the period of June and December, 2023.
But according to Governor Alia’s aide, the analysis of the reporter was based on the latest sub-national debt reports released by the Debts Management Office (DMO).
He noted that the government of Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia “is skeptical of borrowings, and will only do so when and if it becomes necessary and it is in the interest of the Benue people, especially to fund critical projects.”
Kula said: “We challenge the Punch Newspaper reporter to be more investigative in his reports, providing accurate facts, which is a key component of journalism practice.
“We want to state emphatically that, the government of Rev.Fr. Alia has not borrowed any money from either Domestic or External sources.”
The CPS also informed that all debts mentioned in the said report were incurred before Governor Hyacinth Alia took over on May 29th, 2023.
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