From Aliyu Muhammad, Kaduna
The Senator representing Kaduna Central and Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign and Domestic Debt, Shehu Sani has said that the Senate cannot be threatened with sponsored protests by Kaduna state government to approve $350 million loan request.
Despite the fact that Kaduna state government had banned all sort of protest in the state, last week, some women allegedly sponsored by the state government went on protest seeking for the loan approval.
The Senator said he wouldn’t be party to approval of a loan that will worsen the economic situation of the state and subject generations yet unborn into untold hardships and recessions.
Shehu Sani stated this while addressing newsmen in Kaduna where he also stated that due process must be adopted adding that his actions have no political motives.
According to the senator, with the situation Kaduna state has found itself, if the loan is eventually approved, for the next three to five decades, the state may not be able to pay the loan and this will affect the payment of workers’ salaries and meeting other basic needs of the state.
“It is not a matter of Senator Shehu Sani been a stumbling blocking to the loan, but as a Senator representing my people at the Senate, I have a duty to ensure that things are done the way it ought to be done and that the next generation should not come and meet debt they cannot pay.
“If we borrow such amount of money and the money is not use according to what the money is meant for, the danger is that people may not traced the name of those who seek the loan but my name as the Chairman Senate Committee on Foreign and Local Debt that will appear on the file as the person who apex his signature on the file”, the senator explained.
While speaking, Shehu Sani says: “If the senate must sign the loan, the senate must be satisfied beyond any reasonable doubt that the loan must reflect with projects seeking to use the loan for.
“Even if my committee approved the loan, it will still come back to the floor of the Senate for final approval. Passing a loan request required a lot of processes and all these processes will be done in public and not behind a closed door”.
Senator Shehu Sani has cautioned that people should not be brainwashed by going on the streets of Kaduna state to staged a protest on the issue regarding the loan, saying he is a symbol of protest in Kaduna State without been paid for by anybody.
“I am a symbol of protests especially in Kaduna State without anybody paying me to do so, so whoever is doing protest in Kaduna is learning from me,” he said.
He explained further that out of the twenty two states seeking the loan, thirteen of them have been approved and nine states awaiting approval including Kaduna sate.
“Out of the twenty two states seeking the loan, thirteen of them have been approved and nine states awaiting approval including Kaduna sate”, the senator concluded.
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