Debt: despite criticism, Reps approve $5.8 billion loan for Buhari

 

The House of Representatives has approved a $5.8billion loan request by President Muhammadu Buhari.

 

Buhari in May had sought the approval of the National Assembly to borrow the money to fund some selected projects.

 

The approval was given after the consideration of the report of the Committee on loans and debt management on Tuesday.

 

The Committee on Supply approved the report after it was presented by Safana Dayyahu, the Chairman of the Committee on Loans and Debt Management.

 

This latest approval is coming amidst criticism of the borrowings by the Buhari’s administration.

 

It would be recalled that the government plans to borrow $36.8 billion under the 2018-2021 borrowing plan.

 

The green chamber approved $2.3 billion for grid modernization and expansion programmes under the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI).

 

Many Nigerians, including former Senator Shehu Sani, who Chaired the Senate Committee on Foreign and Domestic Debt in the 8th assembly, had said the 8th Senate would not have granted some of the requests.

 

The current assembly has been accused of being a rubber stamp to the executive, over the speed of granting approvals to loan requests.