$350 million loan: El-rufai fulminates against three senators

The Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-rufai,fulminated against three senators representing the state for opposing a $350 million loan being sought from the World Bank by his government.
He also described the senators as ”enemies of the state, people and All Progressive Congress”.
The state government had earlier vowed to go ahead with its request despite the decision by the Senate that the Nigerian government should not guarantee the facility.
The Senate decided not to approve the loan request after a committee headed by Shehu Sani (APC-Kaduna) advised against it on the ground that the state is the second most indebted in the country.
Mr Sani, who is the chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign and Domestic Loans, argued that the new loan if approved will erode economic viability of the State.
His position was supported by two other senators from the state: Suleiman Hunkuyi (Kaduna North) and Danjuma La’ah (Kaduna South).
Mr Sani and Mr El-Rufai have been having running political battles for the past few months and have been engaged in several altercations in the past.
Reacting to the federal lawmakers’ decision, the state government said nothing can stop it from obtaining the loan for the development of the state.
The state Commissioner of Finance, Suleiman Abdu Kwari, at a news briefing in Kaduna said the excuse given on the floor of the Senate as to the size of the state’s loan was ”baseless”.
Mr Kwari said with the way the three senators from the state spoke against the loan, it was apparent they had put ”their personal frustrations above the right of the people of the state”.
He said the World Bank was convinced the state has met the conditions before given its approval for the loan.
The furious governor on Friday said the state electorate did not send the senators to the National Assembly ”to work against the interest of the state”.
El-rufai also cursed them publicly while addressing party supporters at the flag-off of the APC’s campaign for the state local government elections held at the Township Stadium.
“They (Wolrd Bank) decided to support us with $350 million loan so that we can support projects that will improve the lives of the people of Kaduna State. But the enemies of our people, the three enemies (senators) of Kaduna State in the Senate blocked it. May Allah curse them.
“They are behaving as if their personal ego is more important than the 10 million of people in the state,” he said.

• The governor said the World Bank approved the loan for the state because it were convinced of the viability of the projects. He threatened that the electorate would vote out the senators for their action against the wish of the people.
  He also had unkind words for those in the National Assembly ”opposing the government of President Muhammadu Buhari”.
  “These politicians of deceit, selfishness are doing similar thing at the national level to cripple the government of our leader Muhammadu Buhari. They kept the budget of 2018 in limbo, they are threatening to impeach the President after their conspiracy on changing the order of election collapsed.
  “We didn’t sent these senators to Abuja to conspire against our people or against our party and President,” he said.
  He said the 16 years of the PDP ‘misrule’ in the state and nationally were regrettable when put side by side ”the acheivements of the APC”.
  According to him, to move forward, ”the APC has 1293 projects at various stages of completion across the state (Kaduna)”.
  “This government has spent more than N60 billion on schools, hospitals, roads and water projects,” he said, adding that, ”our local government elections will be the first ever in Nigeria conducted by electronic voting.”
  The Party’s National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun; Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed and senior officials of the Kaduna APC were in attendance.
  Meanwhile, Mr Odigie-Oyegun, commended the state for introducing electronic voting machines which will be deployed during the LG polls in the state.
  He also received into the APC, prominent politicians and their supporters who recently decamped from the PDP.