The Taraba state Governor, Darius Dickson Ishaku and the members of the State Assembly are in cold war following the refusal of the Lawmakers to grant more loan requests to the Governor.
A dependable sources told National Trail in Jalingo on Sunday that the cold war between the duo began last week when Ishaku invited the lawmakers for a meeting in government House where he pleaded with them to grant another N14 billion loan to enable him conduct local government elections.
Before the last week meeting, Governor Ishaku on October 20, sent another N5.5billion loan request to the Assembly to enable him complete ongoing rural roads, including construction of new roads in the State.
National Trail reports that the N5.5 billion loan request attracted wide condemnation from the people of the State who lamented that the State had taken too much loan but there was nothing to show for the loan.
Findings by our correspondent had put the State debt profile to over N200 billion in the last seven years.
It was learnt that the last week meeting between the Governor and the lawmakers ended in deadlock as the legislators turned down the requests to grant both the initial N5.5 billion and the N14. Billion for the conduct of the local government elections.
Sources at the meeting disclosed that the lawmakers declined to grant further loan requests to Governor Ishaku arguing that the debt profile of the State was too high while there was no reasonable projects commensurate with the huge loans already incurred.
It was further alleged that attempts by the Governor to offer haunorarium to the lawmakers for the conduct of their campaigns and forthcoming elections was turned down.
Aside from the loan requests, another request for the Governor to sell the Taraba Highland Tea company located on the Mambilla Plateau was also turned down by the lawmakers.
Some of the lawmakers who spoke to our correspondent off- Camara said they would not allow the future of the State to be mortgaged by the Governor who has just few months to complete his eight years term.
“The State has incurred over N200 billion loans, being the highest ever and there are just nothing to show for all these loans. Remember our people are not happy about the poor performance of this government and as you know some us are contesting elections, so what do you want us to tell the people ” said one of the lawmakers.
National Trail reports that the cold war between Ishaku and the lawmakers may be heading for the worst as the staff of Taraba state House of Assembly who have earlier issued a 7 days striking ultimatum to the speaker, Prof. Albasu Kunini over the non payment of their allowances may shut the gates of the Assembly after the expiration of their ultimatum this week.
The staff under the umbrella of Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria
PASAN Taraba State Secretariat, in a latter dated 26th, Oct. 2022, and signed by Comr. Ibrahim Bala Yusuf and Comr. Yahuda M. Atwen, Chairman and Secretary respectively, also threatened a showdown before embarking on an indefinite strike if the state government refuses to comply to their rightful demands.
The letter further stated that the government has closed deaf ears to all the demand by the Assembly Staff for the payment of their outfit allowances for the past seven years.
It is observed that Governor Ishaku may find it difficult to present the State 2023 appropriation bill to the Assembly if the parliamentary staff decided to execute their threat by embarking on their strike this week.
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