The Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, in Kogi and some citizens of the state have begun to kick against
the alleged plans by the Governor Yahaya Bello-led administration to sell off
10 of the state’s properties to finance the N151 billion budget of the state
for 2018.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered on Monday in Lokoja
that the properties are all located in highbrow areas of Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna
and Lokoja, the state capital.
The state Commissioner for Finance, Ashiru Idris, confirmed to
NAN that the plan to sell the properties was not hidden.
Mr. Idris said that he had made a full disclosure of the
government’s intention to dispose of some its assets and property before the
state House of Assembly recently.
He said that the properties were for outright sale and not for
commercialisation.
He said that the state government had engaged some consultants
to carry out the evaluation of the properties.
“When the consultants are done with the evaluation of the assets
and properties, we will place adverts in newspapers for bidders,” he said.
However, the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
rejected the government’s plan to sell some of the state’s assets to fund the
2018 budget.
The party called on the state government to perish the thought
of selling off the “legacy properties.”
The party’s Publicity
Secretary, Bode Ogunmola, stated this while reacting to the state government’s
proposal.
“To say the least, we consider the plot to be selfish, devilish
and myopic.
“It is shameful that a government which is saddled with the
inability to pay workers’ salaries let alone executing people-oriented projects
will now scheme to mortgage our collective future,” the statement said.
A cross-section of residents who spoke on the matter also
cautioned the state government against selling off the property in the interest
of the future of the state.
The residents who refused to disclose their identities urged the
government to think out of box and come up with ways of financing its budget
deficit instead of selling off their collective property.
Mr. Idris, however, dismissed the fears raised by the PDP and
the residents, saying that the process to sell off the properties outright was
already in the process.
He listed the properties slated for sale to include: the
Confluence Beach Hotel, Lokoja; Kogi Hotels, GRA, Lokoja; Kogi State Liaison
Office, Ikeja-Lagos GRA; Kogi State Liaison Office, GRA, Kaduna; and Lokoja
International Market, Lokoja.
According to him, others are the 12-storey Kogi House in Abuja,
the vast Commissioners’ quarters in Lokoja and the state House of Assembly
quarters along Hassan Usman Katsina road in Lokoja.
NAN reports that many of the properties being planned for sale
were built between 1991 and 1993 and from 1999 to 2003 by the first civilian
executive governor of the state, the late Abuabakar Audu.
The Lokoja International Market and the 12-storey Kogi House,
Abuja, were constructed by the administrations of Ibrahim Idris and Idris Wada.
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