THE Kwara State Commissioner for Planning, Alhaji Wasiu Odewale, has debunked any insinuation about the debt profile of the state, saying that the state currently owes N29 billion both in commercial banks and bailout fund.

Speaking at a ministerial press briefing in Ilorin, on Tuesday, the commissioner said that the state was in a good position to borrow if it wants.

He, however, said that the state government considered the need to meet other obligations and as such would not overburden the treasury with huge loan. The commissioner, who also said that the World Bank would give a sum of N850 million to the state government for community development projects, added that the arrangement followed payment of a N50 million counterpart funding by the government.

Odewale, who spoke with his counterpart in the ministry of Health, Alhaji Suleiman Alege, described Community Development Agency (KWACIDA) as a model among the 26 states participating in the World Bank scheme.

They said the projects under the programme would be sited in each of the 193 wards in the state. The commissioners also said that the state had also paid N100 million counterparts funding of its health insurance scheme.

"We will get N850 million from the World Bank in the next few weeks and each ward of the state will benefit between N5 million and N10 million in terms of project." Each ward will choose a project. The role of KWACIDA will just be to supervise the completion.

On his part, Alege said with the payment of the N100 million, the existing beneficiaries of the health insurance scheme have nothing to fear while pointing out that government was also considering expanding the programme to the informal sector of the state as well as among the core civil service.