Kaduna state Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, says the World Bank will not grant loan to any state if Kaduna is not included.
Kaduna state is among the states which applied for loan from World Bank but while the senate approved the facility for others, it rejected the $350 million request of Kaduna, based on opposition from the three senators representing the state.
El- Rufai while declaring open the 2018 Law week of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Barnawa branch, Kaduna, said he wondered why the upper legislative chamber would not include his state in the approved list when it “met all the conditions” for the loan.
El- Rufai who was represented by his deputy, Barnabas Bala Bantex, at the event, alleged that the refusal of the senate to approve the loan request had a political undertone.
The governor said:
“World Bank won’t grant loan to any state without Kaduna… the World self-service has a moral burden to deal with.
“How do we handle not approving or not giving out a loan for which a state government is fully qualified and approve to others, which I wouldn’t say are less qualified? That is the moral issue facing the World Bank.”
Earlier in his address, the governor said the role of the NBA is the struggle for the improvement of the socio-economic situation of the country.
He said insecurity and corruption were the main challenges facing Nigeria, and he called on the NBA to collaborate with the government to address the menace.
“Insecurity and corruption are the major setback to any nation. When there is corruption, it ruins the economy and retards development. Insecurity discourages foreign investors
“For us to tackle these, there must be a synergy with stakeholders like the NBA and the judiciary.” He said.
