New Telegraph

Senate rejects Buhari’s $700m loan request for water project

…summons minister on previous loans

The Senate, yesterday, rejected President Muhammadu Buhari’s $700 million loan request to the National Assembly, for Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (SURWASH) under the Ministry of Water Resources. The Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts vehemently opposed the proposed loan when the ministry came to defend the loan. This was coming 24 hours after the Ministry of Health appeared before the Committee to seek approval for $200 million for procurement of mosquito nets and Malaria medicines, which the panel also roundly condemned.

The lawmakers, who took turns to fault the loan for SURWASH, asked the ministry to furnish the committee with an update of loans collected so far for the water projects in the ministry. In his comment, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Clifford Ordia, stated that three different loans had been approved for various water projects. Ordia said: “$450 million for the ministry for a water project being financed by the African Development Bank and another $6 million loan under integrated program for Development also financed by African Development Bank and Gurara Water Project. “You need to tell us what you are doing with $700 million for water projects?” The Committee therefore agreed to summon the Minister of Water Resources, Adamu Suleiman to appear give explanation on the loans and state of loans collected so far Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources, Mrs Esther Didi Walson-Jack, who was unable to give adequate explanations to the previous loans approved for water projects, told the Committee that Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene would last for five years.

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