Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) has said his administration inherited N220 billion debt from the Olusegun Mimiko government.
The governor spoke yesterday in Akure, the state capital, when he swore in 18 commissioners and 10 special advisers (SAs), at the International Event Centre (The Dome) on Igbatoro Road.
He told his them the days of business-as-usual were over.
Akeredolu urged the commissioners and SAs to show determination to make the All Progressives Congress (APC) change mantra effective in their duties.
The governor accused the former administration of embarking on frivolous projects, which had no direct impact on the people.
He noted that the debts the last administration incurred include the money borrowed from within and outside the country as well as funds used for uncompleted projects.
Akeredolu said the debts formed parts of the loans taken by the Mimiko administration between 2010 and 2016.
The governor said they included internal debt of N53,159,719,891; external debt of N17,485,393,971.50; unpaid salaries and allowances from August to last December, totalling N17,279,115,588.10.
•Governor Akeredolu (fifth right), his wife, Betty; Deputy Governor Agboola Ajayi (third right); Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Ifedayo Abegunde (second right) and Speaker, House of Assembly, David Oleyelogun (sixth left) with the commissioners and special advisers after their swearing-in in Akure…yesterday.
Others include unpaid salaries and allowances from January to February, totalling N6,911,663,629.24; pension liabilities of N4,800,965,850.00; gratuity of N15,043,537,042.74; unpaid local government salaries and allowances of August to last December, put at N9,320,568,782.41; unpaid local governments’ salaries and allowances of January to February, at N5,192,437,503.30; local government pension liabilities, which accumulated to N25,237,348,457.26; local government gratuities liability of N20,965,598,590.61; contractors’ liabilities, totalling N39,740,423,934.76 and outstanding payment requests in the Office of the Accountant-General without cash backing, put at N5,451,352,494.25.
He said the state’s liquid assets include banks’ balances, N7,236,594,630.36; fixed deposit and call deposit of N837,000,000; balance in bond proceeds, N254,000,000; fixed deposit of Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC), N1,449,000,000 and portfolio management, at N180,000,000.
Akeredolu said: “With a total inherited debt of over N220 billion, it should not be difficult for anyone to know that the government’s capacity for seeming elastic adjustment to cater for the people has been stretched to its limit. There is no gain asserting the obvious: our administration is not in any position for frivolities.
The state’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) described Akeredolu’s assertions as “interesting joke,” without substance.
Its Director of Publicity, Mr Ayo Fadaka, challenged the governor to back up his allegations with evidence.
He urged the government to concentrate on governing the state well instead of criticising his predecessor.
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