Governor Bassey Out of Cross Rivers state has denied obtaining foreign or domestic loans since he came to office on May 29 last year.
The governor’s reaction comes on the heels of the revelation, recently, by the Debt Management Office, DMO, that 13 new state governors collectively borrowed N226.8bn from domestic and external financiers within six months of coming to office.
Governor Bassey was among the governors who took office last year. He succeeded Prof Ben Ayade as the state’s helmsman.
Reacting to the allegation that his state took loans, his Chief Press Secretary, Nsa Gill said in a statement that the report was not true, challenging “any person” that has proof to come to the public with such.
Gill said “There’s no record in the annals of the State government that suggests that fresh borrowing was undertaken; since the inception of the present administration till date; both domestic and foreign debt.”
“We challenge any person, including the DMO, who has evidence of any fresh loan taken under the administration of Governor Bassey Otu to make that Public.
“The governor has not signed nor taken in a fresh loan on behalf of the state.”
He quoted the Governor also as saying, “Anyone in doubt of our position can make findings with the state legislature and even to the DMO. I have taken up the matter with the DMO and they have denied knowledge of any fresh loan under the current administration”.
