The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has called on the National Assembly to investigate the All Progressives Congress, APC-led Federal Government and Buhari Presidency over the country’s huge debt amounting to N24.38 trillion.
The PDP made the call in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan and made available to the Next Edition.
The party had queried the APC-led FG and President Buhari over alleged unwholesome borrowings leading to the escalation of the nation debt stock from N12.12 trillion in 2015 to an overburdening N24.38 trillion in 2018.
The party described as saddening and devastating that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, in its manifest incompetence and lack of initiative to stimulate and run a productive economy, relies on heavy borrowings and unbearable tax regimes, which have crippled productivity, caused untold hardship and mortgaged the economic future of our nation.
The party noted with displeasure that since President Buhari assumed office in 2015, there has been a culture of unexplained borrowings leading to a steep rise in the debt stock from N17.5 trillion in 2016 to N21.72 trillion in 2017 and a huge N24.387 trillion in 2018.
“It is shocking and completely insupportable that our nation’s debt had risen from N21.72 trillion in December 2017 to N24.387 trillion in December 2018, showing an accumulation of a whopping N2.66 trillion in a space of one year.
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“President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration therefore has a huge explanation to make to Nigerians for its borrowing spree, especially as it cannot point to any meaningful development project into which the borrowed funds were invested.
“This is particularly against the backdrop of allegations in the public space that the borrowed funds, which were taken as development funds, were diverted to 2019 general elections campaign activities of the APC, a huge part of which ended in private pockets of corrupt APC leaders.
“This is in addition to direct frittering of public funds through the alleged N1.4 trillion sleazy oil subsidy regime, the looted N9 trillion detailed in the leaked NNPC memo, the alleged N33 billion fraud in the handling of funds meant for the welfare of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North East, among other sleazes.”
The PDP therefore urged the National Assembly to commence a system-wide investigation into the borrowings by the Buhari administration, particularly the terms of the borrowing and the handling of the funds.
It further urged the National Assembly save the future of the nation by restricting the Buhari administration from taking further loans on behalf of the country until explanations are provided on the terms and handling of the borrowed funds.
