Ogun Lawmakers Adamant on knowing the Debt Exposure before Approving 19b Naira Loan
Apparently worried that the bill for another N19b which Governor Ibikunle Amosun has placed before the Ogun State House of Assembly may not fly as expected, some lawmakers believed to be loyal to Ogun State governor are said to have gone back to the drawing board to re-strategise. The lawmakers were said to have met over the last weekend on two separate occasions to plot on 
how to ensure the passage of the bill which will give approval to the loan request. Gathered that part of their new strategy was to suspend three of the members of the House of Assembly perceived to be strongly opposed to the loan request which would therefore put the Amosun lawmakers in clear majority to effect a change in the law requiring two-third majority to ‘simple majority’ so as to make it easier for them to pass.
At the plenary session of the House of Assembly on Tuesday, Speaker Suraju Adekunbi refused against all entreaty to list the matter of the loan as part of the House proceedings. A source at the Oke-Mosan’s Governor’s office also revealed that mum was the word during the weekly Executive Council meeting, as the loan request was not even discussed at all.
According to a source within the Government, “Governor Amosun has been apprehensive and particularly worried about the negative publicity and comments which the matter has generated. It was like he seem to be coming to terms with the reality that this is a very unpopular decision and the people of Ogun State are totally against it”.
Another source told NigerianEcho that former Speaker Tunji Egbetokun is actually Governor Amosun’s thinking cap, and he was the one who suggested that everything should be allowed to look as normal again before they strike with the new plot. From the documents supplied to the House of Assembly by both the Commissioner for Finance, Kemi Adeosun and his Works counterpart, Lekan Adegbite, Ogun State will be paying N3b every month to service debt when the loan is accessed. The Ogun State lawmakers are however asking questions about the debt exposure of the state which is currently put at N293b.
