The Abia State Liaison Officer to the National Assembly, Hon. Iheanychukwu Chinasa, has dismissed as false and misleading recent claims by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, alleging that the Abia State government misappropriated a $263.8 million loan approved by three international financial institutions.
In a statement issued in Umuahia on Sunday, Chinasa, who is also a chieftain of the Labour Party, clarified that the funds in question have not yet been released to the state. He explained that the credit facility, secured under the Abia State Integrated Infrastructural Development Project (ABSIID), involves a consortium of three banks—the Islamic Development Bank ($125 million), the African Development Bank ($100 million), and the Canada–Africa Development Bank ($15 million)—with the Abia State government contributing $23.8 million as counterpart funding.
According to him, the loan is specifically earmarked for infrastructure development across the state. He emphasized that since the funds remain with the lending institutions, no withdrawals have been made by the state government. “These funds are still with the banks. The state has not drawn a single kobo from them as I speak. This information is within the public domain for anyone to access and verify,” Chinasa stated.
He accused the Deputy Speaker of spreading misinformation to discredit Governor Alex Otti’s administration, describing Kalu’s remarks as politically motivated. “Why does the Deputy Speaker like to misinform the public? Is this desperation to stir controversy and present himself as being persecuted for the President’s sake?” Chinasa asked.
The Liaison Officer criticized Kalu’s demand for results from a loan that has yet to be disbursed, calling it “shocking and unbecoming of the exalted office of the Deputy Speaker.” He urged Kalu to focus on his duties to the people of Bende Federal Constituency rather than “launching unprovoked attacks” on the state government.
Chinasa further cautioned Nigerians against what he described as “a crop of emergency politicians with little or no public reputation beyond name-dropping.” He advised political figures like Kalu to wait until 2027 if they wish to challenge Governor Otti at the polls, asserting that the governor’s performance so far has been exemplary.
“Our governor has performed excellently with the resources available to him and deserves commendation, not attacks or distractions,” Chinasa said, reiterating that the Abia government remains focused on delivering infrastructural development for the people.
