Sokoto State Governor, Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, has vehemently denied claims of procuring foreign loans to fund developmental projects in the state.
This rebuttal comes in response to a BBC Hausa Service report aired earlier today, which implicated Sokoto among Northern states purportedly accessing foreign loans for development initiatives.
Governor Aliyu expressed dismay over the inclusion of Sokoto in the BBC report, asserting that his administration has never availed itself of any foreign loans, either from domestic or international sources.
He stated, “Let me make it categorically clear that I have never taken any loan from anybody since we came on board.”
Challenging the authenticity of the BBC report, the governor urged for thorough verification of information before dissemination.
He called upon the Debt Management Service to confirm the accuracy of the claims made in the report.
“You can’t take a loan without following certain procedures, including seeking approval from your State lawmakers; in our case, there is nothing like that,” Governor Aliyu declared.
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Emphasizing his administration’s financial prudence, Governor Aliyu asserted that all projects undertaken in Sokoto State have been financed solely through monthly allocations from the federation account and internally generated revenue.
He confidently stated, “For now, we don’t need any loan before we execute projects because we are managing the little resources of the State very well.”
The BBC Hausa Service report, aired on Monday, was said to have alleged that the Sokoto State government had acquired a foreign loan amounting to $489 million for various developmental projects.
