Director-general of the Kano State Public Debt Management Office, Hamisu Sadi Ali, yesterday declared that his office was unaware of any fresh loan by the current government, except the debt burden inherited from the immediate past administration of Abdullahi Ganduje.
He said in a statement in response to claims that the state government had secured new loans from France to the tune of N177 billion (€64 million) describing it as false and malicious, that under the Kano State Public Debt Management Law of 2021, any borrowing by the state government must be managed through the State Debt Management Office and must follow rigorous procedures.
Citing an agreement signed in July 2018 by the former government, Ali stressed that it was Ganduje that secured the €64 million from the French Development Agency for the National Urban Water Sector Reform Project, of which €13 million had already been disbursed.
He emphasised that the current government was focusing on servicing existing debts accumulated by the previous administration.
“The loan was signed by Ganduje’s administration and that has been the most recent foreign facility contracted by the state. That loan is intended for the provision of affordable water services.
“And that has been taken. This government since coming to power on May 29, 2023, has not taken any new loan, either domestically or internationally,” he said.
Ali urged the public to disregard news from unprofessional outlets, while calling for good news reporting.
“The public should kindly ignore this fabricated report. Journalism should be a deeply investigative venture, not a tool for spreading non-factual, fabricated stories,” he added.
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