We didn’t owe any bank while leaving Abia on May 28 – Ikpeazu
By Emma Ogbuehi
Former Abia Dr Okezie Ikpeazu has dismissed reports that his administration was owing banks by the time he left office on May 28, 2023.
He rather described such ascriptions as false and a mischievous ploy by the succeeding administration of Dr Alex Otti, urging the government to purge itself of “Ikpeazuphobia” (fear of Ikpeazu) and face the serious business of governance.
Ikpeazu who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Onyebuchi Ememanka, said his principal was constrained to issue yet another clarification on the matter, as he considered it very serious and of great public importance.
He observed that it has become a clear case of obsession and paranoia on the present administration in Abia State looking for some reason to blame the preceding administration for everything under the sun, no matter how unreasonable.
“Their latest strategy is to surreptitiously inform key agencies and arms of government that their reason for not meeting their obligations to them is because there is an outstanding loan of a whopping 22 billion Naira taken by the Ikpeazu administration from Zenith Bank and UBA.
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“Nothing could be farther from the truth. The 22 billion Naira loan exists in the imaginations of the peddlers of the wicked and warped narrative.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to make it abundantly clear that as of the 28th day of May 2023 when the administration of Dr Okezie Ikpeazu ended by effluxion of time, the Government of Abia State was not owing any commercial bank in the ordinary course of business.
“This is a no-brainer because no commercial bank in Nigeria will grant any facility to any State Government, the repayment terms of which will run beyond their tenure of office”
Ememanka said that in the ordinary course of business, the Abia State Government, like every State Government in Nigeria, had financial arrangements with banks by way of Temporary Overdraft facilities (TOD).
He said that Ikpeazu is proud to state that all TODs were cleared before he left office.
“To be more specific, the only outstanding TOD with UBA which was in the region of 6 billion Naira was fully repaid in March and April 2023.
“It is public knowledge that the last allocation received by the Ikpeazu administration was for the month of April 2023.”
Ememanka threw an open challenge to the Otti administration to produce any evidence to support the spurious claim of a 22 billion Naira outstanding loan liability from the Ikpeazu administration.
“Like we had explained before now, the only existing liabilities are loans taken by successive administrations from the old Imo State, most of which were taken to fund critical developmental projects over the years.
“These also include bailout funds which were loans given by the Federal Government to every State in the country to support the States, with very clearly defined repayment terms which are structured in a way that the ordinary day to day business of State will not be hampered.
“May we remind them that the most critical obligation of any government is to secure the lives and property of the people? Security is a serious and capital-intensive project.
“The Otti administration should stop manufacturing excuses and fund the various security agencies in the State.
“It is on record that throughout the eight years that Dr Okezie Ikpeazu held forte as Governor, the people of Abia State largely slept with their two eyes closed on account of the relative peace and security that prevailed across the State. These didn’t happen by giving excuses and playing blame games.”
Ememanka said that the removal of the petroleum subsidy by the Federal Government has naturally jerked up funds available to the three tiers of Government in the country.
“For the month of May 2023, the Otti administration received 9.113 billion Naira as allocation. This was received in June. This is the highest allocation received by the State in any single month in the last 10 years.
“Allocation for the month of June which will reach the states any moment from today is projected to be more than double of what they got last month, so the Abia State Government has no reason whatsoever not to fund security operations and even the legislative branch of Government.
“Finally, we wish to remind Governor Alex Otti that he was elected to solve the problems facing Abia State and not to blame Ikpeazu.”