A civil society group, Concerned Nigerians for the Protection of Human Rights and Rule of Law Initiative, has asked the Federal Government and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to block the loan request by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma.

It said Uzodinma has taken too many loans “under the pretence of paying the local government workers and pensioners, which he never did.”

In a statement by its convener, Deji Adeyanju, in Abuja on Monday, the organisation alleged that the governor has embarked on a borrowing spree without any concrete project to show for it, disclosing that the state’s debt profile is over N100 billion.

Adeyanju stated, “In 2021 alone, the Imo State House of Assembly granted the Hope Uzodinma-led administration approval to borrow N8.9 billion from Fidelity Bank and other numerous of such requests, for undisclosed reasons, which sparked criticisms from sections of Imo people. To date, it is important to note that the governor is yet to account for the borrowed monies. 

“This was barely three months after the State House of Assembly also approved the request of Hope Uzodinma to borrow N7.5 billion to purchase vehicles for public officers, even as the government owes civil servants and pensioners arrears in excess of eight months.”

READ ALSO Imo has collapsed under Uzodinma, says PDP

The activist further explained that in 2020, the state government announced that it had commenced discussions with the Central Bank of Nigeria for a N52bn loan to be channeled into Adapalm plantation.

The statement noted, “We have also been reliably informed that Hope Uzodinma is planning on borrowing an additional N15bn from Zenith Bank for payment of salaries, gratuities, and pension of local government workers.

The plan is to take N256m in the name of each of the 27 local governments. This is going to be the sixth of such unaccounted loan requests since he became governor. 

“We condemn this move and we enjoin the Federal Government and the EFCC to halt this reckless loan acquisition by the government of Imo State.”