Fifteen members of the House of Representatives in Kaduna state have criticized the Senate for refusing to approve the $350 World Bank loan facility being sought by the state government. Members of the caucus hailing from the PDP and APC said they supported the government’s plan to access the loan because they believe it will boost infrastructural development in the state.
The members described the Senate’s rejection of the loan as not only political but a reflection of the abuse of power by the three senators from the state who are supposed to put the interest of the people above their personal interests.
But the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debt, Senator Shehu Sani, has insisted that no amount of blackmail against him and his colleagues will make them endorse the loan request.
In 2017, the Kaduna State Government had through the Federal Government submitted a request to the Senate for approval for the loan which the state government says would be used to improve healthcare delivery, develop the education sector and build infrastructure in the state.
Having gone through all the processes and meeting all the requirements, the World Bank and the House of Representatives approved the loan, but subject to approval by the National Assembly.
Surprisingly, on Thursday, March 29, the loan request failed to scale through at the Senate as it was rejected after the three Senators from the state kicked against its approval.
According to the state government, all the conditions set out by the World Bank were met which made the bank to approve the loan.
Stakeholders in the state are saying that the larger interest of the Kaduna people is more important than the interest of the three Senators who allegedly worked against the loan request.
According to them, since securing a loan is not a tea party, it is, therefore, paramount that the lawmakers should separate their personal interests and political differences from the larger interests of the people of Kaduna State.
