From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Abia State Government has denied the claim by former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu that his administration left over N24billion for the new government.
A release jointly signed by Ferdinand Ekeoma, Special Adviser, Media and Publicity; Kazie Uko, Chief Press Secretary; Mike Akpara, Special Adviser to the Governor on Finance and Mrs. Njum Onyemenam, Accountant General of Abia State, said the Alex Otti led-government was shocked over the claim.
The release in putting the records straight said as at May 28, Abia State government was indebted to the tune of over N190billion.
It said some of the financial institutions the state was indebted to include, UBA, N8,012,830,371; Zenith Bank,N21,557,168,761; Union Bank,N597,637,399, and Central Bank of Nigeria, N47,760,302,510.
It equally gave a load down of domestic debts to include salaries and subventions’ arrears of N18,162,102,692; pensions arrears, N21,283,876,789, gratuity arrears, N27,012,996,061; contractors arrears, N4,563,186,896, bringing the total debt to N191,239,307,593.
The government said the $200 million and $50 million the past administration claimed it left for the new administration are loans it was pursuing which were yet to crystalize.
It wondered why the past administration could not pay workers salaries if it had such amount of money in its kitty.