The Bauchi State Ministry of Local Government has expressedits determination to clear the 3 billion Naira debt against the 20 local
government councils inherited from theprevious administration before the end of 2020 for smooth administration of thecouncils.The Commissioner in the ministry Abdulrazak Nuhu Zaki statedthis when he interacted with reporters in Bauch.
He said “when we came on board we discovered that theprevious administration took three billion naira loan from a commercial bankwhere local governments account is domiciled with 18 percent interest rate.This is beside the huge amount of money borrowed from the federal government inthe name of the local governments”.
Zaki said the loan has now become a bottleneck to thecouncils, in view of how the bank deduct its money each time each time theirfederation allocation hits the account, leaving a fraction for them.
He said If not because of the joint account many council’swill not be able to pay their workers salary.
According to him, the strategy he adopted has startedyielding result as last month alone he was able to save 300 million Naira withwhich he paid part of the loan.
Zaki also disclosed that the administration of Governor BalaMuhammed releases the councils’ allocation to them directly, but a limit hasbeen placed on the maount of money they could approve, just as the ministryalso monitor them strictly.
He said the present administration had so far awardedcontract for the construction of roads linking from Sade through Akuyam inDarazoto Misau and another road from Burga to Mainamaji to go through Tafawa Balewa,Bogoro and Alkaleri local government areas.