Shehu Sani Explains How He Was Insulted Over $350M Loan: “Kaduna, Hour of Reckoning Has Come”

• Shehu Sani has reacted to the recent claims made by Kaduna governor Uba Sani over the state's debt profile
• The former Kaduna lawmaker disclosed that he was insulted when he warned the former governor Nasir El-Rufai against accepting the $350 million World Bank loan
• Sani made this statement in a recent interview, after Governor Uba Sani said El-Rufai plunged Kaduna state into debt

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

Shehu Sani, the senator who represented Kaduna Central in the 8th assembly, has lamented the debt burden on Kaduna state.

In an interview with Aminiya, Media Trust’s Hausa publication, Sani said he was insulted for rejecting the $350 million World Bank loan request by the then governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai.

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The incumbent Governor Uba Sani on Sunday, March 31, raised the alarm that the state was heavily indebted and unable to pay salaries.

Sani disclosed that his administration inherited a debt to the tune of $587 million, N85 billion, and 115 billion Contractual Liabilities from the previous administration and this led to a clash between the governor and the Kaduna APC women leader, Maryam Suleiman.

Reacting to the development, Sani said “the hour of reckoning has come for every citizen of the state.”

He added that if his advice was heeded, the state would not have found itself in the present predicament.

He said:

“The hour of reckoning has come for every citizen of the state. I was insulted for saying no to that loan. The hour of reckoning is here to every person in Kaduna state.

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“In the same way, I warned the people of this state, but they were told that the money will bring paradise — land of milk and honey. Today, you can see the problems at hand as far as that loan was concerned.

“If you look at what I said about this state, there has never been any of my predictions that has not come to pass.

“Today the state is strangulated because of that money which we couldn’t pay. We borrowed $350 million when the naira was N400 to the dollar and we are going to pay when the naira is what it is today.”

What to know about the $350 million World Bank loan

In 2018, Sani and two other senators from Kaduna state — Suleiman Hunkuyi, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) representing Kaduna north senatorial zone; and Danjuma Laah of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kaduna south-central senatorial zone — rejected moves by El-Rufai to take a $350 million World Bank loan, The Cable reported.

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Sani and Hunkuyi eventually lost their bids for re-election and were replaced by Uba Sani and Suleiman Kwari who lobbied for the approval of the loan.

Shehu Sani reacts to 300 % electricity tariff hike

Legit.ng reported earlier that Shehu Sani reacted to the hike in electricity tariff.

Recall that on Wednesday, April 3, the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) approved the increase of electricity tariff for customers under the Band A classification.

With the development, customers would pay N225 kilowatt per hour from the current N66.

Reacting, in a series of posts shared on his X page on Wednesday, Sani explained that the hike in the tariff would affect Nigerians and businesses.

Source: Legit.ng