The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has kicked against the move by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, to secure a $500 million loan for the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), alleging that it is an additional ploy to fleece Nigerians.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Monday by Kola Ologbondiyan, its National Publicity Secretary, the main opposition party told Lai Mohammed to “perish the thoughts of further mortgaging the future of our country” by securing the loan.
The party also urged the National Assembly to save the nation by refusing the request by President Muhammadu Buhari to plunge the nation into more debt through his request for additional $29.9 billion dollars loan, in which the said $500 million and other unexplained subheads are embedded.
The PDP implored the National Assembly to reject the clear attempt by the cabal in the Buhari Presidency to worsen the economic situation in our country via the use of phoney projects as a guise to draw foreign funds to service their selfish economic and political interests.
The party noted that under the Buhari Presidency, foreign debt has accumulated to $83 billion dollars with nothing to show other than the excruciating unemployment rate, decayed infrastructure, a worsening governance system, escalated insecurity and unprecedented poverty.
The PDP alerted that the request for the approval of $500 million is aimed at setting the stage for further fleecing of our nation’s economy as the Federal Government under the Buhari administration has shown no commitment towards nation building, transparency and accountability in governance.
The statement added: “Moreover, the Federal Government has failed to present details of the requested $29.9 billion dollars loan in which the $500 million being requested by the Minister of Information and Culture is embedded; a development that points to nothing but the corruption in the Buhari administration.
While counselling the Minister to perish the thoughts of $500 million, the PDP charges him to use his appearance at the National Assembly to give account of the funds so far released to the Ministry of Information and Culture which has been plagued by cases and allegations of corruption under his watch.”
The party also charged Lai Mohammed to immediately provide answers to circumstances surrounding the reported National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) N2.5 billion fraud.
The party urged the National Assembly to shelve all requests for foreign loans until the Buhari Presidency heed to the demand by Nigerians to open its books and publish details of all financial transactions on foreign loans as well as spending from the federation account so as to secure our economy from the bazaar of the corrupt cabal in the Buhari Presidency.
