Amaechi’s Claim On Foreign Loans Incorrect, says Senate

CORRECTION REMOVES REFERENCE TO POPULATION - Rivers state governor, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, speaks to foreign journalist in Lagos, Nigeria, Monday Sept. 2, 2013. The governor says that a new splinter group he formed within the ruling party along with six other governors and a former presidential candidate are trying to pressure the party to do more about poverty, crime and education. The move is the first major internal challenge to President Goodluck Jonathan since he was elected in 2011. Gov. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi said Monday that they intend to transform the ruling People’s Democratic Party from a party that presents a candidate for elections to a party with better ideology. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

THE Senate yesterday asked Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi to withdraw his claim the National Assembly’s refusal to approve foreign loan requests was stalling execution of projects.

It said Amaechi allegedly made the statement in Ilorin on Monday during the Northcentral Town Hall meeting by the Federal Government.

The Senate said Amaechi was reported to have claimed refusal by the National Assembly to approve the government’s request for foreign loan to be used for counterpart funding was frustrating construction of the Lagos-Ibadan and Ibadan-Ilorin-Minna-Kano rail lines.

The Senate, in a statement by its spokesman, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, said the statement was not only “false, misrepresenting and contradictory to available facts, but it also portrayed the minister as not in tune with the position of the government in which he is serving”.

It said: “As at today, the only request for approval from the Executive for loan was the one dated January 27, 2017 and signed by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, seeking a “resolution of the National Assembly for the Issuance of USD 1 Billion EuroBond in the International Capital Market for the funding of the 2016 Budget Deficit” and we granted the approval.

TheNation

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