The Senate on Wednesday approved $200 million World Bank loan for the Lagos State government.
This followed the submission and consideration of the report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, headed by Senator Kabiru Gaya, and seven others.
President Muhammadu Buhari wrote the Senate on September 29, requesting a special approval of Lagos State Development Policy Operation III under the Federal Government External Borrowing Plan (2015-2017) for the third tranche of $200 million of the DPO from the World Bank.
The World Bank Development Policy Operation (DPO) is a budget support facility used basically to finance deficit in annual budgets of governments to enhance the capacity of beneficiary government to execute key projects.
The Lagos State DPO (budget support) for $600 million was approved by the World Bank in 2010 to be disbursed in three tranches of $200 million each.
The committee said the first tranche was approved by the National Assembly in the 2010 Borrowing Plan while the projects were implemented in 2011.
The second tranche was approved by the National Assembly in 2012-2014 Borrowing Plan while the third tranche facility is captured in the 2015-2017 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF).
The committee said the state justified the borrowing and has acceptable debt sustainability level and was eligible to borrow.
It said the loan would be used to finance the light rail project, education, roads and bridges, water and health sector development, among others.
It said the projects to be funded from the facility would enhance great economic growth, employment generation and increased the revenue generation capacity of the state.
The committee added that the credit facility would enhance gains made in key sectors from the first and second tranches, particularly in the Ultra-Modern Burns Centre, Cardiac and Renal Centre at Gbagada General Hospital.
The 27km light rail on the Badagry Expressway corridor to Marina is included as part of projects to be funded from the loan and completion of the 70 million gallon per day Adiyan water facility.
Meanwhile a mild drama played out at the Red Chambers as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senators on Wednesday stopped the Wife of the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Senator Oluremi Tinubu (APC, Lagos central) from using the microphone on the seat of the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.
Senator Ekweremadu (PDP, Enugu West) who claimed to have escaped assassination attempt on Tuesday was absent and Mrs. Tinubu sat on his seat for over an hour.
It was while she was sitting on Ekweremadu’s seat, that the Senate President, Bukola Saraki asked her to second the $200m loan request of Lagos state.
When she stood up and switched on the microphone on Ekweremadu’s seat, the PDP Senators chanted No! No!
Our correspondent reports that when Tinubu explained to the PDP Senators that the microphone on her seat was faulty, they yelled back No! No!
She ran back to her seat, saying “My microphone is bad”. She went to a seat close to hers, and said “Can I use this?
It was at this moment that Saraki told her that she had her protection.
“You are protected, it is because of the passion you have for this loan that I thought it will be good for you to second it,” Saraki said and she seconded it