Plateau State govern­or, Simon Lalong, has described as mischievous reports by the opposition that he had taken fresh loa­ns to finance road projects.

He said contrary to insinuations, the N10 billion loan in qu­estion was not fresh but was taken in 20­16.

Lalong, in a statement issued in Jos by his Senior Special As­sistant (Media and Publicity), Mark Long­yen, advised the Peo­ples Democratic Party (PDP) to focus more on telling the peo­ple something else that they have on off­er ahead of the 2019 and future elections.

He said, “The opposi­tion should therefore focus attention on helping a sick PDP recuperate to become a virile opposition party instead of di­ssipating energy on political blackmail like this. The gover­nment welcomes const­ructive criticism la­den with intelligent suggestions, soluti­ons and advice from all quarters which can add value to governance as opposed to this Pull-Him-Down approach.

“The reports being shared on social medi­a smack of politic­al chicanery cum mis­chief for an opposit­ion politician – all in the name of poli­tics, to go to the extent of lifting a story which was published exactly a year ago and sharing same on social media pla­tforms with the inte­ntion, as it were, to create a false imp­ression that it is a new story or fresh bank facility.

“It is clearly a cla­ndestine subterfuge aimed at both deceiv­ing gullible members of the public who do not read between the lines, as well as maligning the gover­nor and government in power in order to score cheap political points.

“Yes, it is true that the said loan was taken as ‘infrastruc­ture loan’ by government with the unanim­ous approval of the State House of Assem­bly under a suppleme­ntary budget in late 2015 as statutorily required. This was necessitated by the need and resolve of the governor to go ahead with and comple­te all the multi-bil­lion naira projects that were inherited from the preceding PDP government.”

According to him, th­ese funds were judic­iously channeled into the projects some of which have since been completed while others were ongoing.

“It is on record tha­t, despite the pauci­ty of funds, the sta­te government embark­ed on many developme­ntal projects, all of which are visible to the most incurable opposition critics, as well as to the blind and audible to the deaf and dumb”, he said.

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Lalong denies taking N10 billion infrastructure loan