Buhari seeks approval for $75m World Bank loan for Edo State

‎President Muhammadu Buhari has written to the senate seeking approval for a $75 million credit facility from the World Bank on behalf of  the Edo state government.

The letter was read on the floor of the upper chamber by Bukola Saraki, senate president on Tuesday August 4.

''I am writing to seek the consideration of the national assembly of Nigeria on approval of a request by the Edo state government‎ to obtain a $75 million credit facility from the World Bank,'' the letter read. ''You may wish to know that the World Bank had approved a Development Policy Programme (DPO) loan budget support for the total sum of $225 million to the Edo state government in 2012 to be implemented in three tranches of $75 million per annum. The first tranche was approved by the national assembly in the 2012-2014 federal government external borrowing plan. The programme has since been successfully implemented by the state in 2014. Following this success, the bank’s board of executive directors approved the second tranche. ‎DPO 2, on April 29, 2015. The DPO 2 was captured in the federal government external ruling borrowing plan of 2014-2017, which is pending with the national assembly.

''It is for the above reason that I seek your favour to facilitate the consideration and approval of the Development Policy Operation 2 (DPO2) loan of $75 million to enable the state to consolidate on the first tranche of the operation.''

The World Bank loan was being stalled by the unending row between Buhari and Saraki. For World Bank to grant the development loan, the president was required to write the senate. However, the letter was written by Danladi Kifasi, the head of service, and addressed to the senate president. The senate refused to act on it, instead writing back to Kifasi to point out the procedural error.