Lalong tackles Dalung over alleged $350m AfDB loan

Zamfara govt recants purported N37b fraud by Yari
Plateau State Government has called out former Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Solomon Dalung, for alleging that Governor Simon Lalong squandered $350 million loan from African Development Bank (AfDB) for the development of the state’s potato value chain.

Dalung, while speaking in a webinar convened by ViewPointNigeria yesterday, had disparaged the governor and his administration, claiming that as a serving minister in the first tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari, he was a member of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) that approved the loan, but lamented that no single infrastructure for potato could be verified in the state.

He had earlier accused Lalong of misleading President Buhari to commission a flyover built by former Governor Jonah Jang as his own project, describing it as disgusting.

But the governor has described Dalung’s attack as unfortunate, alleging that as a minister he achieved nothing.

In a statement by the Commissioner for Information, Dan Manjang, the governor dismissed the claim that the state took a loan of $350 million.

He said: “Though Plateau State benefited from a loan facility from AfDB, it is rather sad that someone who claims to be part of the approval of the facility does not know the amount of the loan. This has aptly put a lie to his desperate attempt to take glory for the transaction that he knows little to nothing about.”

RELATEDLY, Zamfara State government has adjusted its earlier claim of alleged N37.4 billion fraud against the immediate past administration of Abdulaziz Yari.

The Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Rabi’u Garba, had in a world press conference last week accused Yari’s administration of mismanaging over N37 billion refund from the Federal Government for the federal roads projects executed in the state.

Garba stated yesterday: “There is a difference between actual cash payment and promissory payment,” explaining that the said amount was collected in promissory notes not cash.

“Promissory notes, not cash was collected on behalf of the previous government of Zamfara State by the then Director General of the Nigerian Governors’ forum (NGF).”