Ebonyi committed in paying inherited debts , says Okpor 

By, Uchenna Okeh Abakaliki

Ebonyi state commissioner for information and state orientation, Mr. Jude Okpor at the weekend insisted that the state is the least indebted states in the south east region.

Okpor revealed the committed efforts of the state governor, Francis Nwifuru in paying all the inherited debt by the former administrations in the state.

The commissioner, Okpor made this known in a statement signed and made available to public on Saturday.

The statement reads in part: “It is no longer news that the governor, Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru is committed to his avowed resolve not to indulge in borrowing, not even a dime, for the execution of projects in the state. 

“He does not believe in creating a debt burden for future generations. He works within the financial capacity of the state as enabled by the federal allocation and internally generated revenue. He is equally committed to offsetting the debt he inherited on assumption of office.

“Moreover, any effort at evaluating the indices for growth, development, and quality governance should not be selective.  It should be comprehensive, including statistical facts provided by reliable bodies  – both private and public. 

“For instance, verifiable information from the Debt Management Office detailing the Domestic Debt Data for the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory readily shows that Ebonyi is the least indebted state (all inherited) among the states in the Southeast, and Nigeria at large.

He compared the debt owed by Ebonyi state to other states of the south east region to include: “Abia — ₦89,348,999,633.27, Anambra — ₦30,363,709,605,.82, Ebonyi — ₦19,094,759,998.08, Enugu — ₦128,073,020,413.66 and Imo -₦155,383,539,183.04. 

He stated further that: “The graphic details are attached for perusal. The nagging question becomes: should a leader who strikes this prudent disposition while equally providing his people the needed dividends of quality governance not be commended?

“More so, Ebonyi State came second in the recently released 2024 BudgiT Fiscal Transparency League Table among the states in the federation. A tremendous improvement on the 2023 report and a testament of frugal management of resources by FON-led administration.

On the issue of tax contribution, he said: “Furthermore, a recent publication by the National Bureau of Statistics on tax contribution by states and revenue allocations to states in 2024, Southeast, was the worst in southern Nigeria.

“Viewed through the prism of the current tax reforms, where it succeeds, only creative Governors will be able to keep their state on the terra firma of meaningful progress. 

Reacting on the issue of creativity by  the governor, he said “Nwifuru’s ingenuity in this light could be seen in what South-East states contributed to the VAT pool and what they received in 2024:

Okpor revealed further that: “ANAMBRA Contributed: ₦47.53bn

Received: ₦78bn (167.1%);

EBONYI Contributed: ₦25.11bn

Received: ₦61.43bn (244.7%);

ENUGU Contributed: ₦15.39bn

Received: ₦67.54bn (438.7%); 

ABIA Contributed: ₦8.68bn

Received: ₦63.78bn (734.8%)

IMO Contributed: ₦4.38bn

Received: ₦70.70bn (1,613%).

“These data are not only pertinent for an informed comparison, but equally relevant in the critical evaluation of the state committed efforts of His Excellency, Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru towards galvanizing resources for sustainable development and improved livelihood. 

“The data as x-rayed does not indicate in any way that the states that often juxtaposed with Ebonyi in the hate-propelled, disjointed comparison do not perform better than Ebonyi” he stated.