Fresh N120b Loan: Okowa can’t mortgage entire state for his ill-fated Vice-Presidential quest  -Ex-Student leaders 

…Says we’ll resist with all lawful means fresh loan quest

By Wealth Akowei,

Students and Former Student Leaders Forum in Delta State have vowed to use all lawful means, including calling out Deltans to occupy to Delta State Government House and the House of Assembly to resist the move by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to secure another N120B loan with barely four months to the end of his 2nd tenure.

The Forum said that unlike in the past when they took a passive posture when Gov Okowa went on loan shopping, warning that they will not stand aloof and watch the outgoing governor plug the state further into a debt trap in his ill-fated Vice-Presidential bid.

Recall that a whistleblower, Fejiro Oliver on Thursday, alerted Deltans of a move by Governor Okowa, PDP Vice Presidential Candidate to obtain a fresh N120b loan from Premium Trust Bank allegedly owned by Okowa and Fidelity Bank.

The facility according to the report, Premium Trust Bank will provide N100 billion, while Fidelity Bank will provide the balance of N20 billion, which if approved will balloon the state debt profile to over N480b, a move that has generated reaction amongst critical stakeholders across Delta.

Reacting to the development in a Press Release issued and signed by the Publicity Secretary of the Students & Former Student Leaders Forum, Comrade Godfrey Regha called on Governor Okowa to recede the decision to procure fresh loans in the interest of Deltans and generation unborn who will bear the burden of paying back.

The Forum also urged the members of the Delta State House of Assembly, to wake up from their slumber and prove Deltans wrong that they are not ‘figureheads and Rubber Stamp’ by rejecting the fresh loan request by Governor Okowa.

“We know that Governor Okowa faced with an impending rejection and defeat at the poll wants to plug the state into further debt to prosecute his ill-fate Vice Presidential ambition which to all intent and purpose is dead on arrival.

“We are calling on all well-meaning Deltans in the circle of Governor Okowa to appeal to his conscience to recede his ill-advised decision to take a whooping N120b loan in the twilight of his administration.

“If Okowa fails to heed our appeal, we will mobilise Delta Students and youths in the mother of all protest to occupy the Delta Government House at Asaba, we will not sit aloof and watch Governor Okowa because of his selfish political ambition mortgage our collective commonwealth to feather the political next of Atiku.

“We are not unmindful that the leadership of the Delta State House of Assembly led by our brother, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori who also seeks to govern the state will as usual say the ‘Ayes’ have it, we, however, want to put him on notice that if they don’t act in the best interest of Deltans, they will be stoned when they visit their constituency.

“Delta state is bleeding and is in an intensive care unit due to the huge debt burden hanging on our nick, no thanks to Governor Okowa, but we will not allow Okowa and his gang to take another loan to our detriment, we will resist it with every lawful means necessary including blacklisting any banks that go ahead to grant him more loans,” the statement added.