Niger Lawmakers Stop Gov Bago From Borrowing N50 Billion

Legislators at the Niger State House of Assembly have rejected Governor Muhammad Umar Bago‘s request to access a N50 billion loan facility provided by Union Bank Plc for the establishment of an agricultural food park and farm estate.

His request was declined on Thursday following the presentation of the report by the chairman of the Joint Committee on Education and Finance, Alhassan Isah, during a plenary session chaired by Speaker Mohammad Sarkindaji.

Naija News understands that Governor Bago had previously submitted a letter to the house, which was read by the Speaker, highlighting that the loan facility would support the state’s Green Economy Revolution, create value chains for agricultural produce, ensure a bountiful harvest, and enhance food security for Niger State and Nigeria as a whole.

However, Isah, who represents the Mashegu constituency, informed the house that the governor’s letter requesting approval for the N50 billion loan did not provide sufficient evidence on how the funds would be utilized, based on the committee’s observations.

He said: “From our findings, the loan facility is not clearly spelt out. We don’t know where the projects will be sited, or the exact areas the loan will cover. So, the Committee on Agriculture and Finance decided to meet with the state Commissioner for Agriculture and his team to enlighten the house on how the N50b loan facility can improve the economic life of Nigerlites and the ministry has yet to provide the committee with the necessary document.

“In line with the above observation, we need more time to do our findings to enable us to do a good job.”

Subsequently, the legislators dedicated a significant amount of time to thoroughly discuss the matter and ultimately concluded that the executive branch should provide specific details regarding the location of agricultural food parks and farm estates, as well as the involvement of local governments in the entire process.

As a result, the Speaker of the Assembly instructed that the request be postponed for further legislative action by the House.

Furthermore, he approved the committee members’ request for additional time to fulfil their responsibilities and report back to the house on the following Wednesday.

However, they did grant the governor’s request to access the N15 billion contract financing facility provided by Fidelity Bank Plc for the development of A. A. Kure University of Education, Minna, in order to meet the financial requirements.

Earlier, the chairman of the Joint Committee on Education and Finance Committee, Mohammed Sani Tafa, who represents the Tafa constituency, presented the committee’s report.

He stated that based on their findings, the committee was convinced that the loan facility would bring benefits to the people of the state.