The express approval granted Kwara State Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed by the state House of Assembly to access a credit facility of N10billion from a new generation bank has continued to generate mixed reactions. While the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state backed the state government's move, the opposition parties' leaders are kicking.

The House had, last week, approved the request of Ahmed to draw N10billion credit facility from the bank.

Projects to be financed by the loans according to the letter read on the floor of the House, include a Vocational Centre at Ajase Ipo, Kwara State University, Malete, Cargo Terminal, Metropolitan Square, Ilorin Metropolis Water Reticulation Projects, Ultra Modern Diagnostic Centre and International Aviation College, Ilorin.

"How can anyone question the importance of the rehabilitation of hospitals, the establishment of an international vocation centre to empower our youths for employment as well as the completion of the Ilorin Metropolis Water Reticulation Project Phase One of which has been completed and is being enjoyed by the people of Kwara State" asked the party's publicity secretary Alhaji Mas'ud Adebimpe.

The Alliance for Democracy (AD) in the state opposed the idea coming at a time huge allocations from the Federation accrue to the state government.

The duo of AD chairman and secretary, Buliaminu Aliu and Michael Ologunde said there was no need for the loan and, if indeed there was a need, the government must indicate a practical breakdown of how it would be expended in order to secure public support for the move.

They said: "The news that Governor Ahmed wants to borrow N10 billion on behalf of Kwarans came to us as a rude shock. The governor's step to borrow such a huge amount of money is premature because the Federal Government had recently announced the release of N559.1 billion as December 2011 monthly allocation to both states and local government areas in Nigeria.

"Certainly over N10 billion will be Kwara State's after sharing. We also learnt that Kwara state government got about N9 billion as November 2011 allocation which means that the state government is richer by N20 billion or so within two months. Then, why should our governor want to borrow N10 billion?

"We remember that the former governor borrowed N9 billion towards the tail end of his tenure to execute certain projects. We believe Ahmed is not borrowing the N10 billion to complete or execute the same as his predecessor had earlier done. This is because the projects are still new and covered by guarantee. The AD Kwara chapter urges the governor to stop the idea of borrowing N10 billion on behalf of the good people of the state.

"We also appeal to members of the Kwara state House of Assembly to reject, instantly, such proposal from the governor."

Reacting to the development, the state Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), through its chair, Kayode Olawepo, said a resounding no to the loan.

Olawepo said: "We wish to dismiss as dubious, sheer profligacy and mindless disrespect for the Kwara public the decision of the illegitimate PDP government in the state to borrow N10billion to, as they claim, sponsor some phoney developmental projects. The hurried manner with which the PDP-dominated House of Assembly rushed to approve the request, without any thorough debate or committee works, raises many questions".