Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, sought to get a loan from the World Bank for years, and at some point, the former Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala even said his ‘campaign of lies’ against her was a ripple effect of her decision to stop him from taking the ‘highly suspicious loan’ of N15 billion.

She had said: “As recently confirmed by the Debt Management Office, professional analysis showed that Oshiomhole’s loan request which was based on using low interest World Bank loan to offset high interest commercial loans would have left Edo state with a heavy debt burden and the the state would have found it very difficult to pay back.”

But that was in December 2015, three months after the Nigerian Senate had approved Oshiomhole’s loan request.

Not long after power changed hands on May 29,2015 – when the All Progressives Congress took the centre from the Peoples Democratic Party – Oshiomhole had written to the Nigerian Senate, seeking approval to access the loan.

“You may wish to know that the World Bank had approved a Development Policy Programme (DPO) loan budget support for the total sum of $225 million to the Edo State government in 2012 to be implemented in three tranches of $75 million per annum.”

“The first tranche was approved by the National Assembly in the 2012-2014 Federal Government’s external borrowing plan.”

“The programme has since been successfully implemented by the state in 2014. After the successful implementation, the bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved the second tranche, which is the DPO 2, on April 29, 2015.”

“The DPO 2 was captured in the Federal Government’s external ruling borrowing plan of 2014-2017, which is pending with the National Assembly.”

“It is for the above reason that I seek your favour to facilitate the consideration and approval of the Development Policy Operation 2 (DPO2) loan of $75 million to enable the state to consolidate on the first tranche of the operation.”

The exact nature of the ‘Development Policy Programme’ carried out by Edo state is unknown.

About a week later, on August 13, the Senate acceded President Muhammadu Buhari’s request for the World Bank’s Development Policy Operation loan for Edo state.

This was after the SUV-loving red chamber of the National Assembly had considered the report of the Senator Kabiru Gaya-led ad-hoc committee.

9 months after that time, Oshiomhole has since received the loan, and is yet to put it to use.

He revealed on Wednesday, April 27, that his administration was yet to spend the loan.

While inspecting state projects – an eight Kilometre underground Storm Water drainage; 2nd East Circular Road dualization project and Erediauwa Road Project and 25 adjoining streets roads – the governor said: “For us working for the person is a way of life, it is in the blood. It is in the gene of our party because we derive our essence from our bond with the very ordinary people.”

“And you can see that by our statement we have made a conscious choice that to deliver the greatest good to the greatest number we must look at where the ordinary people are and touch their life. People who cannot do a petition, those are the people we represent.”

“The much talked about 75million dollars we have not touched it, so this not the result of any loan.”

One then wonders – when will Oshiomhole (who’s leaving office in a matter of months) spend the loan AND if his intention is to leave the loan behind in the state’s kitty for his successor, why collect it in the first instance?