The Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia has said his administration has spent $2.82 million (N4.53 billion) to service external loans between June 2023 and June 2024.
Alia made this known in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Sir Tersoo Kula, on Monday in Makurdi.
According to the Governor, the state has not borrowed funds since the inception of his administration but paid the said sum to reduce the state’s debt burden.
The Governor further stated that the Debt Management Office’s recent report confirmed that the external debt profile of Benue has experienced a sharp decrease within the period under review.
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He further stated that the current BudgIT release of the third quarter of 2024, States Fiscal Transparency League Table, indicated that Benue has moved to the 9th position from the 35th and 36th positions it had consistently shuffled since 2015.
“We are changing the narrative for good governance and massively delivering dividends of democracy to the people.
“We are consistent in insisting that the future of the state comes first and has demonstrated the highest level of decision-making and resource management.” the statement added.
