Enugu House of Assembly rejects Gov Chime’s N11bn loan request

The bid of outgoing Governor Sullivan Chime to secure an N11 billion loan facility from
a commercial bank was met with a stiff opposition on Thursday as members of the Enugu State House of Assembly disapproved the request.

The rejection of the loan request unanimously came after a heated debate took over the House at yesterday’s plenary. This was after the Governor conveyed a message to the House through the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Anthony Ani (SAN).

Recall that the opposition party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state had last week kicked against the loan request, noting that it would amounts to the Governor milking the state dry before his exit.
But Governor Chime, in the message, requested for a resolution of the House “to authorise Enugu State government to issue Irrevocable Standing Payment Order, ISPO, to United Bank for Africa Plc in the sum not exceeding N11 billion to cover monies paid by the State Government to its contractors executing projects in the State.”

Only two of the lawmakers, Joseph Agbo Ugwumba (Enugu East Rural) and Johnbull Nwagu (Udi North) out of the 17 members who attended yesterday’s sitting supported the request by the governor.
Attempt by the Speaker, Eugene Odo, to adopt a voice vote approach in arriving at the decision, was unsuccessful, hence he subjected the matter to individual voting, calling on the lawmakers one after the other to vote.

At the end of the voting, the speaker announced that of the 17 members who attended the sitting, 13 voted against the request by the governor, while only 2 voted in support. Meanwhile, two members abstained from voting.

In his contribution to the debate, a lawmaker representing Igbo-Eze South LGA, Mr. Matthew Ugwueze, said:  “If you borrow money to pay a debt, then you are still indebted”. He wondered why the Governor would be in a hurry to pay contractors when government is known to be a continuum.