Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has said he never borrowed money from any bank, either within or outside the country.
He also said the state government was not owing any outstanding salary.
In a statement yesterday, Okorocha’s Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, challenged any bank with contrary claim to openly indicate and give details of such transaction.
The Governor also gave such bank seven days to make public such counter claim.
Onwuemeodo said the governor decided to clear the air on the state’s financial health because “the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is synonymous with falsehood and propaganda. And even as a party, if they know any bank the government of Okorocha has borrowed one naira from, they should mention such bank and state the particulars of the transaction, so that interested persons can verify or forever, they should keep their mouths shut.
“Owing to governor Okorocha’s monumental achievements, opponents of the administration have always erroneously concluded that he must have borrowed heavily from the banks.
“And that is the reason we are now stating openly that the Rescue Mission administration, which Okorocha has superintended for almost eight years now, has not borrowed money from any bank.
“We also want to state that Imo State Government has paid workers’ salary up to the month of February 2019, and the payment of the month of March salary is about to commence. In other words, the state government is not owing any outstanding salary.”
“Again, the government of governor Okorocha is not owing any contractor. If any contractor has any claim to the contrary, he or she should immediately go to the office of the Secretary to the Government of Imo State with relevant papers before May 29, 2019.
“We are doing this so that people would not come after the governor has left office to lie or make dubious claims.
“It is also on record that the administration has run free education since 2011 from primary to tertiary, and no child pays one kobo as tuition fee, while the government also repurchased state-owned companies sold by the previous administrations, including the Resin Paint Industry, in Mbaise,” the statement added.