Niger Rakes in N263bn, Owes N59.2bn

By Laleye Dipo in Minna

Niger State government says it raked in N263billiin from all sources within the last 42 months even as the administration is owing not less than N59.2 billion.

A breakdown of the income showed that N131 billion accrued to the state from the federation account,  N33 billion was collected from the capital market while N18 billion was internally generated.

Also other sources brought in N73 billion to the state in the period under review.

The Commissioner for Finance Alhaji Zakari Abubakar who disclosed this while addressing All Progressives Congress stakeholders at the Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi International Conference in Minna on Monday said the debt of the state included the N10.8 billion “legacy debt” left behind by the last Peoples Democratic Party PDP administration.

Zakari Abubakar used the opportunity  provided by the forum to dispel rumour making the rounds that the state was owing over N100 billion.

The Commissioner also said that over 83 percent of the amount generated amounting to about N193 billion was committed to the payment of workers’ salaries and allowances and other emoluments.

The Commissioner for Works Alhaji Abdullahi Balarabe announced that two local government headquarters, Agwara and Bangi towns, had been connected to the national grid after being in darkness for over 30 years.

The Commissioning of the projects, Balarabe said, would be carried out by Governor Abubakar Sani “very soon”.

The Commissioner also said that the administration had purchased over 300 electricity transformers to boost electricity supply in urban and rural communities of the state.

The Secretary to the state government Alhaji Ibrahim Isah Ladan assured the opposition political parties in the state that the APC would not engage in vote buying during the 2019 general elections contrary to the campaigns by the parties.

Isah Ladan declared “Our work will speak for us, we will campaign with what we have done, our campaign will be issue based”.

The government scribe sued for a campaign devoid of hate speeches, thuggery and blackmail”.

The programme was organised by the Abulolo reelection campaign committee 2019.