Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia has disclosed that, since coming to power over one year and eight months ago, he has not borrowed money or raised a bond from any bank or financial institution.
The governor who disclosed this in a statement through the Chief Press Secretary Tersoo Kula explained that it has become necessary to clarify the recent reports pointing out that the debt profile of Benue State has climbed from ₦122.5 billion to ₦187.5 billion from September to December 2024.
According to him, his predecessor, Samuel Ortom, in one of his futile attempts to deny the real debt burden he left for the state after his departure in May 2024, openly acknowledged a debt burden of ₦187.5 billion. He added that this fact was widely reported and stands in stark contrast to the claims being made now.
“We emphatically state that this narrative is a fallacy concocted by our bitter exiles who seek to mislead the public and undermine the progress of our administration.
“However, the allegation is one among their numerous previous attempts, and mischief to blackmail and set the people against the Governor, and I want to tell you that it is a blatant lie from the figment of their imagination which has also backfired.
“It is evident that these adversaries of Benue State are intent on tarnishing the image of our performing governor, and their aim is to paint a distorted picture of his leadership before the public and national authorities, but again they have failed,” he noted.
He said, “The question remains how the detractors derive their figure of a ₦65 billion increase in debt, from ₦122.5billion to ₦187.5 billion?
“The truth cannot be suppressed. We will continue to expose these falsehoods for the people of the State to know what they are up to.”
