Emmanuel Awari-Jalingo
Following the approval by the Taraba State House of Assembly for the State Governor to take a ₦350B Bond, former Nigerian Envoy to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Alhaji Hassan Jika Ardo, has raised the alarm that such a level of borrowing could mortgage the state finances and cripple the state’s economy.
He disclose this during a phone interview with journalists on Wednesday, 26 March 2025.
He noted that under barely Two years in office, the governor has already taken loans worth over ₦400bn without any commensurate development to show for it.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Chieftain said that he was appalled that the State Assembly could approve such a huge amount to be borrowed without a clear roadmap of how the funds will be used or the modalities of repayment.
“Gentlemen, for some time now, I have observed developments in the state quietly, but things seem to be getting out of hand, obviously.
“You are aware that this government has not initiated and completed a single project since its inception about two years ago, all we see is renovations.
“However, information available shows that the State governor has already borrowed over ₦400bn from various commercial banks and there are no tangible things to show for it.
According to him, despite an increase in Federal Allocation which has risen from about N3billion to about N13billion monthly nothing to show on ground.
“We are not talking about the increased Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) within the last two years.
“To worsen the situation, the State House of Assembly should have checkmated the activities of the Governor and his recklessness has gone ahead to approve a whopping ₦350 Billion Bond for the Governor.
“This is very dangerous for the State where the Governor is already showing clear signs of a lack of direction.
“When during the Darius Dickson Ishaku administration I granted an interview to the media accusing him of failure to meet the expectations of the electorates, some stakeholders described me as being economical with the truth. Today, I guess I stand vindicated.
“Today, we are witnessing an administration that is worse than Darius Ishaku in Governor Agbu Kefas,”, Ardo said.
He explained that despite the Billions of Naira the Kefas administration claims to spend on the Jalingo Abattoir, the facility is yet to be of any benefit to the people.
He observed that a government that preached free education without anything to show after two years, is still deceiving parents that the government would provide free school materials to their wards.
“As far as I am concerned, this government is deceptive, and it’s duping the people of Taraba just like its predecessor under Darius Ishaku, where Billions of Naira are yet to be accounted for, and he is now a regular guest of the EFCC.
“Let me use this opportunity to call on all relevant authorities and regulatory bodies to save the State from total collapse.
“I am not opposed to borrowing. It is a key element in governance. However, where monies are borrowed and syphoned without any tangible utilisation, it becomes a problem” he maintained.
He called on all well-meaning stakeholders of the state to wake up to their responsibility and defend the interest of Taraba State, as posterity would judge them for their conspiracy of silence.
When contacted for comment, the Special Adviser to Governor Agbu Kefas on Media and Digital Communications, Mr Emmanuel Bello did not respond to messages sent to his SMS and Whatsapp inboxes.
Recall that the Taraba State House of Assembly approved a proposal allowing the state executive to access an N350 billion naira bond from the United Capital and Investment House.
The approval followed a communication from Governor Abgu Kefas, which was presented to the House by Speaker John Bonzena during plenary on Monday, 24th March 2025 in Jalingo.
The bond, according to the House, will be used to fund key developmental projects outlined in the state’s 2025 budget, including sectors such as Health, Biotechnology, Waste Management, Energy, Tourism, Mining, and infrastructure, particularly road construction.
It is also worth noting that the funds will be disbursed in tranches of N20 billion naira for five to seven years.