The Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, and his predecessor, Ibikunle Amosun, on Wednesday clashed over a $250m World Bank loan.
While Amosun claimed his administration began and facilitated the loan before he left office in 2019, Abiodun said the efforts of his administration prevented the state from losing the huge loan.
Amosun in a statement by former Secretary to the State Government, Taiwo Adeoluwa, said it took his administration six years to process and actualise the loan.
The statement read in part, “Like in several other areas, the Amosun administration worked hard, laid enduring foundation and bequeathed rich legacies to the cause of greater Ogun State.
“Now, at the last World Bank meeting, the hard labour and painstaking efforts of the Senator Amosun-led administration came to fruition with the provision of $250m grant for Ogun State.
“Recall that in 2019, before the end of Senator Amosun’s administration, we had processed the approval of both the Senate and the House of Representatives; we also had secured the nod of the Federal Executive Council.
“We did all the paperwork. We are immensely proud that once again, we bequeathed a handsome and significant $250m in virtually interest-free grant to Ogun State.”
However, in a counter statement by the Special Adviser on Public Communications, Remmy Hazzan, Abiodun said the facility was a result of various interactions on the economic blueprint and development roadmap for the state which he had with the officials of World Bank.
Abiodun said, “Recall that the project facility suffered a major setback and in fact was reduced from the original amount of $350m because of the slow utilisation of the initial preparatory allowance of $5m and the poor implementation of the preparatory phases of the project facility by the previous administration.
