I Never Took N1 Billion Loan On Behalf Of The Ministry—Says Semenitari

Former Rivers commissioner for information and communications, Mrs Ibim Semenitari, and acting managing director of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), has dismissed the allegation by successor in the Rivers State Ministry of Information that she borrowed money on behalf of the ministry while in office.

Mrs Semenitari made the clarification in her remark in Port Harcourt,while reacting to an allegation by Dr Tam George, Rivers Commissioner for Information and Communications, that she took a loan of N1 Billion on behalf of the ministry while serving as Commissioner.

Semenitari, now, acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta development Commission, described as “a lie and unfortunate,” remarks by George that she took the facility from a bank.

George had alleged during a radio programme, that Semenitari took the loan from a bank while serving as Commissioner.

While the allegation as. tissue of lies Mrs Semenitari said “No Commissioner can do that. I did not .This is a definite and unfortunate lie,”she said.

Semenitari said no ministry could borrow from any bank. “It is against financial guidelines and service rules. Only a state government can borrow and there was no project in the ministry of information requiring government to borrow,” she said.

The former Commissioner challenged her predecessor to show proof or evidence that she borrowed the money while serving the state as Commissioner for information and Communications to show proof of his allegation.