Kano Unity Forum, headed by a former Presidential Candidate of defunct National Republican Convention (NRC), Alhaji Bashir Tofa, has petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari, the National Assembly, and the federal ministry of finance, against the move by Kano State Governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, to take a loan of N300 billion from China.
The petition, signed by Alhaji Bashir Othman Tofa on behalf of Kano Unity Forum, which was made available to newsmen in Kano dated August 19th and titled ‘Call for an urgent review of the proposed Chinese Monorail Loan to Kano state government’ demanded clarification on the exact amount of the loan and mode of payment, which the forum described as covered in secrecy.
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“Save for few in the government official circles, nobody else knows the terms and conditions of the loan agreement as the exact amount being borrowed is shrouded in secrecy.
“First Phase of the project cost over N300 billion, or maybe even the N828 billion mentioned by others, coming mostly from a foreign loan is mind-boggling,” he said.
Tofa in the signed petition also revealed that based on the analysis of the present indebtedness of Kano State as provided for by the Debt Management Office (DMO), it is extremely difficult, almost impossible for the state to sustain any indebtedness beyond the current liability portfolio.
The Forum, therefore, warned that in the event where Kano State Government chooses to remain impervious to such intervention, it will diligently pursue court processes and other lawful means to stop the Light Rail project.
However, attempt to get the position of the state Commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba yielded no result as he promised to call back with the government’s stand on the issue.
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