Gov.  Adeleke debunks taking N10bn loan facility

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has denied taking N10billion loan and as well not planning to take any such loan now

The Governor, through the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, in a statement made available to newsmen in Osogbo, was reacting to a report that his government obtained N10 billion loan facility in 2023.

Alimi, who described the report as a demonstration of either ignorance or mischief, said all current indebtedness of the state were contracted by previous governments of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

According to the Commissioner, since inception in November 2022, the current government has been servicing inherited debt and ensuring project implementation where the loan is tied to any project like the Ilesa Water Project.

Alimi said that as a responsible government with a focus on legacy attainments, the Governor adopted a no-loan policy which he has maintained since assuming office.

His words: “What the opposition mischievously calculated as loans are World Bank and other multilateral institutions projects like NCares, Ramp and Ilesa Water Project. Is the opposition asking Osun state to opt out of many beneficial multilateral projects which are inherited from previous governments?

“We affirm that the State government will continue to support the people of the State in alleviating poverty through the Nigeria Covid-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NCARES) with reimbursement from the World Bank through the Federal Government. This forms part of what the mischievous attackers are parading as loans taken by the State government.

“We invite the public, particularly the Osun people to recall that the Rauf Aregbesola administration secured a facility from the Islamic Development Bank for the execution of the Ilesa Water Work project at the twilight of that government. The facility which totalled $65 million, was structured in such a way that it is provided upon need for any aspect of the project.

“Between 2018 and 2022, the Gboyega Oyetola administration received several billions of Naira from that fund. What the Osun APC minion misread for a fresh loan under Governor Adeleke, was the continuation of the flow of the funds for the Ilesa Water project and other multilateral projects like the NCARES, Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAMP), State Action Business Enabling Reforms (SABER) among others.

“The current government has not taken any fresh loan and has no plan to do so, but the administration is making  use of the available resources, assets and liability, to the benefit of the state and its people.”