FACT-CHECK: Documents show Fintiri’s aide, Muhammad Tukur lied by claiming 9.9 billion naira loan is grant from FG.

The claim by the new media assistant to Governor Fintiri of Adamawa state that the 9.9 billion naira loan taken by the governor to build 2000 housing units for civil servant is a grant by the FG at zero interest rate is false; an investigation by THE FINDER has shown.

Also untrue, our findings show, is Mr. Tukur’s claim that the 9.9 billion naira loan taken for the purpose of building 2000 housing units for Adamawa civil servant is not directly paid into the state government account.

In his controversial May 20, 2020 Facebook, Mr. Tukur had, among other allegations, accused Sen. Bindow of using overdraft to pay salary not minding that his principal, Governor Fintiri is currently borrowing through overdrafts to pay workers salary.

But in a curious move, Mr. Tukur, claim that Bindow borrowed 57 billion naira during his four years tenure, according to data from debt management office, Bindow took less than 50 billion through FG bailout and budget support funds unlike Fintiri that is borrowing through commercial banks with 13.5 interest rate which attract wide condemnation and public outcry from Adamawa residents.

But THE FINDER can report authoritatively today that Mr. Tukur was economical with the truth as far as this particular claim is concerned.

Bindow only took FG 10 billion naira bailout to augment salary payments not to finance any capital projects as investigation shows that Bindow did not borrow a dime to finance any capital projects in Adamawa state within his four years tenure.

In Fintiri’s loan request to Adamawa state house of assembly in 2019, sighted by this newspaper, Mr. Tukur, contrary to what he posted via his face book wall that Bindow took 8.7 billion naira for infrastructure projects, did not indicate anywhere that Mr.  Fintiri’s loan request is a grant from FG with zero interest rate; Fintiri only sought a “quick approval process” so that the projects will commence in earnest.

Our findings showed that Fintiri does not need the approval of the Adamawa state house of assembly to receive FG grant to build 2000 housing units as no such request was granted by the Adamawa state house of assembly for Bindow to collect the FG budget supports funds and bailout given to the 36 state during last recession that hits Nigeria from 2015 through first quarter of 2019.

Those familiar with loan and grant procedures said there was no way federal government could have given grant to only Adamawa state government under Fintiri to build 2000 housing units and not extend same courtesy to other states to build 2000 housing units for civil servants in other state.

CONCLUSION: Mr. Tukur’s face book post does not support his claim that the 9.9 billion naira loan was a grant by FG to Adamawa state government to build 2000 housing units.

Documents reviewed by this newspaper as well as interviews with those who should know also indicate that the 9.9 billion naira was not a grant but a loan as data from debt management office shows that in 2019 when Bindow left office Adamawa state domestic debt profile was N95, 219,782,086.14 but as at first quarter of 2020 Adamawa state domestic debt profile jumped to N102, 412,601,107.74. It means the current administration has taken over 7 billion naira for DMO to arrive at this current figure.

Fintiri was not explicit in the 17 billion naira loan request he sought to take as the project he sought to spend this loans on is not specify in the letter to the ADSHA as there is nothing like “critical infrastructures” without mentioning the name of the roads and location he intend to use this loan on or the hospitals he want to refurbish with this loan.