Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The Labour Party (LP) in Enugu State has condemned Monday’s approval of N170 million loan request from Enugu State Governor, Mr Peter Mbah, by the State House of Assembly.
In a press release signed by the State Chairman of the party, Barrister Casmir Agbo, on Tuesday, the party described Mbah’s request as shocking and unbelievable.
The statement reads: “Labour Party Enugu State wishes to formally draw the attention of the general public, particularly the good people of Enugu State, to the approval granted by the State House of Assembly following a request for loan by the interim Governor of Enugu, Gov. Peter Ndubuisi Mba in the sum of 170BN.
“We are by this media release expressing our shock and indignation over the borrowing disposition of the Mba-led administration.
“We are not of the view that government should not borrow, we are simply alarmed and shocked at the clinical precision and catastrophic rapidity with which the borrowing occurs. More so when the loans are not channelled towards any infrastructural developments.
“You can observe that both the social and the mainstream media have been on fire since yesterday, the 9th day of October, 2023, when the request made in writing to the leadership of the State Assembly hit the media space.
“The purpose of the loan was not stated but, we are strongly persuaded that purpose is tailored towards self enrichment and satisfaction of personal greed. Sadly, the level of infrastructural decay in Enugu is nothing to cheer about and the Governor is busy scooping monies from left, right and center.”
LP said that the alarm became necessary “because it’s our duty as a party to speak up and point the finger of denunciation in the direction of criminalities and incompetencies wherever found.”
The LP chairman further said: “Granted the alarming dimensions of reckless and purposeless borrowing by Gov. Mba-led administration, we are constrained to cry out, bearing in mind that a time of imminent danger brooks no delay.
“While we condemn in its totality and entirety the action of the government of the day, we are calling on all well-meaning individuals in the state to rise to the occasion and take up the gauntlet to resist and reverse the dismal and abysmal trend of reckless borrowing.”
