By Victor Nwegede
Governor Francis Nwifuru has reportedly cut down the Ebonyi State domestic loan from N76.14 billion to N6.30 billion this year.
The Umuekumenyi United Youths Forum made this known in a press statement signed by its President, Prince Uche Ali Ega and the Publicity Secretary, Mr Ali Daniel Ogbuzuru on Tuesday in Abakaliki.
The group was reacting to the statement signed by the 2023 governorship candidate in the state, Chief Chukwuma Odii
Odii through a statement by his media spokesperson, Moses Idika claimed that the state was owing external debt of $92, 655,060.01 and a cumulative internal debt of over N170bn apart from various commitments to some other domestic financial institution.
Reading the address on behalf of the forum, AIi Ega recalled that the 2023 governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Ebonyi, Mr Ifeanyi Odii, through his paid agent alleged that Ebonyi was among the 17 states that borrowed $125.1m (N112.24 billion) from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
The President said, "It is on record that as of March 31, 2024, Governor Nwifuru had already cut the state's domestic debt down from N76.14 billion to N70.44 billion, down by N6.30 billion."
He argued that the state's domestic debt profile has gone far below what the rivals of Governor Nwifuru quoted in the media space in recent times.
Ali Ega recalled that Governor Nwifuru, from the inception of his administration, vowed to strategically address the needs of Ebonyians by strictly adhering to the documented People's Charter of Needs agenda, encompassing all sectors of the state economy, and convented never to take any domestic or foreign loans.
He maintained that Nwifuru's administration has unwaveringly kept his vow, as in how words, there was no record anywhere of this present state government contracting any loan arrangement to enable it to deliver quality governance to the Ebonyi people.
He described Odii and his cronies' claims, especially on the state's debt profile, as erroneous documents, saying even today, Ebonyi is still the lowest in both domestic and foreign debts among the Southeast states.
