Ishaku denies Taraba’s N200 billion debt profile

Taraba State government has refuted the rumour making the rounds that Governor Darius Ishaku’s administration is indebted to over N200 billion.

The state Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Solomon B. Elisha, made the clarification, yesterday, while briefing journalists on approved budget under the administration of Ishaku for 2023.

Though he failed to disclose current debt profile of the state to journalists, he stated that the state’s current debt profile “is not up to N200 billion.”

Urging Tarabans not to be distracted by the lies, which, he alleged, are being peddled by opposition political parties, the approved 2023 budget, he said, is based on some macro-economic assumptions, including “international oil price benchmark of $70.00 per barrel.”

Other assumptions, as enumerated by him, are “oil production quotas of N1.69 million barrels per day, United States Dollar exchange rate to N435.57, National Inflation rate of 17.16 per cent and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 3.75 per cent.”

He insisted that the Ishaku administration would continue to borrow to meet the yearning of the people, adding: “Government and borrowing cannot be separated.”

According to him, to achieve the objective of the 2023 budget, the state government has stepped up its revenue mobilisation attempts to reduce dependence on the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).