By Amos Aar
BENUE State governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has denied borrowing any money since the inception of his administration on May 29, 2023.
Alia, while reacting to the sub-national debt report by the Debt Management Office (DMO) that Benue was among 13 states that collectively borrowed the sum of N226.8bn from domestic and external financiers between June and December, 2023 challenged the Punch newspaper which published the DMO report to provide evidence to prove that his administration borrowed funds.
Alia, who made the denial in a statement on Easter Sunday through his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Tersoo Kula, described the report as erroneous saying that the alleged debts were incurred by his predecessor, Samuel Ortom.
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“We read a report in the Punch Newspaper of Sunday, March 31st, 2024, wherein the reporter alleged that, 13 new State Governors, including Benue, collectively borrowed N226.8bn from both domestic and external financiers, between the period of June and December, 2023.
“The analysis, according to the reporter, is based on the latest sub-national debt reports released by the Debts Management Office (DMO).
“We want to state emphatically that the government of Rev. Fr. Alia has not borrowed any money from either Domestic or External sources.
“All debts mentioned in the said report were incurred before May 29, 2023, and not after Governor Hyacinth Alia led administration took over office.
“Let it be known that the government of Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia is skeptical of borrowings, and will only do so when and if it becomes necessary and it is in the interest of the Benue people, especially to fund critical projects.
“We challenge the newspaper reporter to be more investigative in his reports, providing accurate facts, which is a key component of journalism practice,” the statement read.
