Katsina State governor, Mallam Dikko Radda, has denied his state’s inclusion by the Debt Management Office (DMO), among those that collected fresh loans and thereby worsening the debt profile of their states.
The governor, in a statement by his spokesman, Ibrahim Mohammed, faulted the DMO’s report, stressing that the Radda-led government has instead preoccupied itself with repaying subsisting loans secured by previous administrations since it came on board.
He maintained that not a single new loan has been collected by the present All Progressives Congress (APC) government in Katsina under Governor Radda.
“This is not to say that the state government will not borrow whenever the need arises. It could borrow to improve the lot of its people and the state in general.
“At the moment, however, there is no new loan. While we appreciate the efforts of the media in keeping the public informed about government activities, we regret any inconvenience the publication might have caused.
“We call on the media, and the members of the public to continue to support the present administration in its effort to provide meaningful projects to uplift the living standard of its citizenry,” part of the statement reads.
LEADERSHIP recalls that a report recently published by DMO listed Katsina alongside some other states that have obtained fresh loans, which has worsened their prevailing debt profiles.