The Governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia has revealed that his administration has spent $2.82 million (₦4.53 billion) to service loans between June 2023 and June 2024.
Alia noted that his administration has not taken loans since he took over power, but paid the said sum to reduce the state’s debt burden.
The governor made the disclosure in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Sir Tersoo Kula, on Monday.
Speaking further, the Governor said that the Debt Management Office recent report confirmed that the external debt profile of Benue has experienced a sharp decrease within the period under review.
“Recall that having inherited over 350 billion in debts from the previous administration, the administration has been cautious about taking loans, despite initiating numerous projects across the state, with many already completed.
“We are changing the narrative for good governance and massively delivering dividends of democracy to the people.
“We are consistent in insisting that the future of the state comes first and has demonstrated the highest level of decision-making and resource management,” he said.
He further stated that the current BudgIT release of the third quarter of 2024, States Fiscal Transparency League Table, indicated that Benue has moved to the 9th position from the 35th and 36th positions it had consistently shuffled since 2015.