The All Progressives Congress (APC) Benue state chapter Wednesday accused the state governor, Samuel Ortom, of mortgaging the future of the state through reckless loans.

The APC alleged that with the manner the present administration obtains loan, the future of Benue children was being mortgaged. “And our fear is what is going to happen to Benue children.”

The opposition party therefore called on the Debt Management Office and other relevant agencies to check the number of loans being obtained by the state government, saying the loans were being misapplied Governor Ortom.

The chairman of Benue APC LikeMinds, Kula Terso, who accused the PDP led government in Makurdi, said that the call was necessary following the approval given by the State Assembly to Governor Samuel Ortom to take a new N12b loan

According to Terso, the present administration had consistently taken loans to the tune of N69 billion with nothing on ground to show for the loan.

He said the APC LikeMinds were worried over the growing debt profile of the state, noting that already, the state was indebted to the tune of N96.4b local debt, according to the debt profile released by Debt Management Office.

Terso lamented that in spite of the N69 billion loans so far obtained by the Ortom administration in the past four years, “There is nothing on ground to show for it.

“Meanwhile, federal allocation has significantly improved leading to bumper harvest by the state at the monthly FAAC. Yet, the governor takes another  N12 billion loan for ‘projects’? Terso said.

According to him, despite the loans taken by the Ortom administration, the government was still owing pension and gratuity amounting to N66billion, state and local government salary arrears to the tune of N50 billion.

 “This is the reason we are calling on the Security and Exchange Commission, Debt Management Office and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to intervene and save the future of Benue people from being mortgaged. Let all the agencies step in so as to stop the new N12 billion loan or else we are doomed,” Terso lamented.

Meanwhile, in a swift reaction, the state publicity secretary of the PDP, Bemgba Ioryyom, has asked the group to direct its complaint to the state assembly.

“The situation is clear. The criticism should not go to the governor because the State Assembly approved the loan. And the Assembly comprises of representatives of all Benue people, so it is the people who have approved the loan for Ortom.

“The loan is being obtained to facilitate people-oriented projects and not for the personal use of the governor”, Ioryyom said.