BEWARE OF A GOVERNMENT THAT CELEBRATES LOANS WITH AZONTO DANCE.
A few hours ago, the Spokesman of former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, Barr. Onyebuchi Ururu Aja Ememanka took time to Celebrate on Facebook what he described as final approval of 115 Million Dollars AFDB loan to Abia state.
The essence of the celebration in the piece captioned “IKPEAZU DELIGHTED AT THE FINAL APPROVAL OF THE AfDB LOAN FOR ABIA STATE” was to give credit to Dr. Ikpeazu for the said loan and tell Abians that Governor Otti has all the funds in this world to work. The work they refused to do.
In his piece, Ememanka wrote “Under the project which is expected to be completed in 2029, a total road network of 248.46 kilometers of road will be rehabilitated to asphaltic concrete standards”
The Questions.
- In the previous releases, the Ikpeazu team claimed to have secured a loan of 200 Million Dollars from the Africa Development Bank (AfDB) for Governor Otti, so if what was approved was 115 Million Dollars, according to the latest claim, why did the same Ikpeazu team claim it was 200 Million Dollars? Should a government claim to have left for its predecessor what has not been approved?
- Why was it easy for the Ikpeazu team to list the total number of kilometers of roads they claimed the said funds would be used for, yet the former Governor spent 8 years telling Abians repeatedly that his government built 76 roads, without mentioning the number of kilometers the said roads were?
- Since the former Governor and his team have become experts in analysing prudent utilisation of loans, what did they do with the World Bank loan secured for the reconstruction of Ngwa road and Obohia? Why was the Port Harcourt Road project terminated and kept secret, and the road abandoned?
- Since Governor Ikpeazu desires to celebrate loans, why did he not roll out the drums to celebrate the government of former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu and his Military Predecessors for the over 20 Billion refunds paid to the Ikpeazu government being excess deductions carried out against the afforementioned previous administrations? In this case, what Ikpeazu got was free money for development and not a loan.
- Finally, it makes no sense for the Ikpeazu team to continue to distract Abians with their incoherent loan stories, because the man presiding over the affairs of the state, Dr. Alex Otti is a financial guru with strong network of contacts in local and international financial institutions, and therefore can close his eyes and secure a loan with the best interest rate and repayment plans.
This Azonto dance has to stop!
Ferdinand Ekeoma
02-07-2023.
