Dickson accused of diverting N45bn Airport project loan
The All Progressive Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State
yesterday threatened to petition the Economic and Financial Crime Commission
(EFCC) over alleged plan by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party PDP
administration of Governor Seriake Dickson to divert N45billion loan procured
for the state Airport project.
But the PDP led government dismissed the claim as untrue declaring that it
does not need to divert loan to fund its campaign.
According to the APC, the alleged plan to divert the N45billion Airport loan was being masterminded with the project contractor to tamper with the terms of the loan and remove the clause on the presentation of milestone certificate needed to access the fund.
The APC, through Chief Nathan Egba, the Director of Publicity for the Sylva/Igiri Campaign Organisation, said though the earlier alarm raised by the party was to the effect that the Governor Seriake Dickson administration had planned to procure a N12.5billion loan through the approval of the State House of Assembly, the recent disclosure on the N45billion loan diversion was a self confession from the PDP.
Egba said, “The burning issue of a fresh loan the present administration is trying to take, ostensibly to be used for their PDP campaigns and forthcoming elections. The initial information we had, was the N2.5billion naira and the N10billion the PDP government was trying to structure through the State House of Assembly. But as you are all aware, the government has admitted they are in fact targeting about N45billion naira instead.
“Their claim is that this is an already approved loan, but what they did not tell Bayelsa people and indeed, the whole world, is that they have tampered with the original terms of the contract on the Airport project to pave way for them to draw on the loan. They have committed Bayelsa to this whooping amount of N45billion naira for the Airport project, on the condition that the contractor will draw on the presentation of milestone certificate.
“However, as everybody in Bayelsa State knows, not only has the project comes to a halt but the site has been overwhelmed by flood waters. Consequently, there can not be milestone certificate to be presented for the contractor to draw from the loan to enable the outgoing Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson and his party, the PDP, to fund their elections expenses.
Check the Vanguard newspaper for the full story.
According to the APC, the alleged plan to divert the N45billion Airport loan was being masterminded with the project contractor to tamper with the terms of the loan and remove the clause on the presentation of milestone certificate needed to access the fund.
The APC, through Chief Nathan Egba, the Director of Publicity for the Sylva/Igiri Campaign Organisation, said though the earlier alarm raised by the party was to the effect that the Governor Seriake Dickson administration had planned to procure a N12.5billion loan through the approval of the State House of Assembly, the recent disclosure on the N45billion loan diversion was a self confession from the PDP.
Egba said, “The burning issue of a fresh loan the present administration is trying to take, ostensibly to be used for their PDP campaigns and forthcoming elections. The initial information we had, was the N2.5billion naira and the N10billion the PDP government was trying to structure through the State House of Assembly. But as you are all aware, the government has admitted they are in fact targeting about N45billion naira instead.
“Their claim is that this is an already approved loan, but what they did not tell Bayelsa people and indeed, the whole world, is that they have tampered with the original terms of the contract on the Airport project to pave way for them to draw on the loan. They have committed Bayelsa to this whooping amount of N45billion naira for the Airport project, on the condition that the contractor will draw on the presentation of milestone certificate.
“However, as everybody in Bayelsa State knows, not only has the project comes to a halt but the site has been overwhelmed by flood waters. Consequently, there can not be milestone certificate to be presented for the contractor to draw from the loan to enable the outgoing Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson and his party, the PDP, to fund their elections expenses.
Check the Vanguard newspaper for the full story.
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