NTA Vs CNN: ‘Perish thoughts of $500m’, PDP tells Lai Mohammed

By Toby Prince

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Monday, berated the Minister of Information and Culture, over Federal Government’s request for approval for $500 milion loan for the upgrade of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).

The PDP in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, urged the National Assembly to reject the request from President Muhammadu Buhari for approval for a $29.9 billion loan, in which the said $500 million and “other unexplained subheads are embedded.”

The opposition party charged the parliament not to approve the loan request, which it described as an attempt by a cabal in the Presidency to further worsen the economic situation of the country.

“Under the Buhari Presidency, our foreign debt has accumulated to $83 billion dollars with nothing to show other than excruciating unemployment rate, decayed infrastructure, a worsening governance system, escalated insecurity and unprecedented poverty.

“The PDP alerts that the request for the approval of $500 million is aimed at setting the stage for further fleecing of our nation’s economy as the Federal Government under the Buhari administration has shown no commitment towards nation building, transparency and accountability in governance.

“Moreover, the Federal Government has failed to present details of the requested $29.9 billion dollars loan in which the $500 million being requested by the Minister of Information and Culture is embedded; a development that points to nothing but the corruption in the Buhari administration.”

The PDP admonished the Information Minister “to perish the thoughts of $500 million”, but rather use his appearance at the National Assembly to give account of the funds so far released to his ministry.