The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council has urged the National Assembly to stop approving loan requests by President Bola Tinubu’s administration without proper scrutiny.
The council called on lawmakers to exercise their constitutional oversight responsibilities by thoroughly examining the terms, purposes and expected benefits of the loans before granting approval.
The Director of Media and Publicity of the ADC-PCC, Kola Ologbondiyan, made the appeal in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday.
He also urged international donors, development partners and financial institutions to demand transparency and accountability from the Nigerian government before granting further loans.
The council’s position followed comments by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who defended the administration’s borrowing record, arguing that attention should be focused on what the government had achieved with borrowed funds rather than the total amount obtained.
However, the ADC-PCC faulted the argument, accusing the administration of accumulating debts without delivering corresponding development projects.
It challenged Tinubu to identify tangible projects completed with the trillions of naira borrowed by his government.
“Let President Tinubu show Nigerians one tangible project his administration has delivered with its trillions of naira in loans, beyond the solar farm in the Presidential Villa,” the statement said.
The opposition council also warned the 10th National Assembly against approving further borrowing without adequate scrutiny, saying such actions could worsen the country’s debt burden and impose hardship on future generations.
“History will not forgive the 10th National Assembly if it stands by while the country is plunged deeper into a cycle of unsustainable indebtedness,” it added.
The council further accused the administration of prioritising publicity over infrastructure delivery, alleging that several major projects had recorded little meaningful progress.
It specifically questioned the implementation of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway and Trans-Sahara Superhighway, arguing that the projects had featured more prominently in government announcements than in tangible development.
The ADC-PCC also criticised the pace of construction on the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Highway, saying its prolonged execution raised concerns about the government’s ability to deliver critical infrastructure within reasonable timelines.
It maintained that projects inherited from the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari should not be presented as achievements of the Tinubu government.
The council further accused the Federal Government of failing to adequately address the economic challenges confronting Nigerians, including hunger, insecurity, poverty and deprivation.
“Citizens are hungry and enduring excruciating hardship. People are dying from hunger, insecurity and deprivation, while the government remains preoccupied with propaganda and self-congratulatory statements,” it stated.
The ADC-PCC, however, acknowledged that borrowing could support national development if the funds were properly utilised to improve living conditions, provide functional infrastructure and create economic opportunities.
It insisted that the government must demonstrate accountability in its borrowing activities to prevent future generations from bearing the burden of debts without corresponding development benefits.
