PRESIDENT of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, yesterday, justified President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to borrow money for infrastructural development, saying the current administration is still cleaning up the mess of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in 2015.
This came as the lawmaker representing Osun East Senatorial District, Senator Francis Fadahunsi, lampooned the Buhari government, saying its major achievement in the last seven years has been massive corruption in the system.
Senator Lawan, who spoke at the 5th edition of the Senator Olamilekan Solomon Lagos West Senatorial District’s Town Hall meeting and Empowerment programme, said that the All Progressives Congress, APC, had no option but to borrow money for the development of infrastructure because money for projects disappeared during PDP administration.
His words: “PDP will tell you that something is funny about APC administration at the national level. But they (PDP) ruled Nigeria for about 16 years and all they did was to leave or bequeath so many challenges for us in 2015.
“We are dealing with those challenges one after the other and if on the way we encountered new challenges, we are equal to the task and we will turn around the fortunes of this country for better by the grace of God.”
On why the Federal Government will continue to take loans for infrastructure, he said: “When someone will tell you that the APC administration only take loans or borrow money, but the same people had 16 years of so many resources and you did very little infrastructure in the country, the money disappeared.
“The APC options are limited but one option that is not on the table is not to do anything at all, or because you don’t have the money you shouldn’t develop your country?
“The government at the national level is responsible and responsive. We wouldn’t like to take loans or borrow money, but when the options are limited and the necessity of development of infrastructure are begging, what do we do? If we have to borrow, we will borrow responsibly and target development.
“What we witnessed in Lagos is to tell you one of the best APC can give. I want to assure Nigerians that APC is the only party they can trust because, for us, the citizens of this country are the most essential elements in governance.”
On Sanwo-Olu, he said: “I’m under this tremendous and massive temptation to say that one good term that you (Sanwo-Olu) are doing deserves another term. As an APC stakeholder, I hope I will be forgiven for this statement because that is what I believe in.”
In his remarks, Senator Adeola, who said he decided to embark on the empowerment programme, said aside from several legislative oversights, he has introduced 14 bills in the current 9th Assembly with three of the bills already passed into law.
