Nigeria gets fresh $75m facility from World Bank
NIGERIA'S external debt, which has been significantly reduced by Federal Government, may be inching up again as the World Bank approved $75 million floating development fund for the country.

The development was disclosed yesterday in Bauchi by the World Bank task team leader, Prof. Folusho

Akinwande, while inspecting some projects

at Gitar village in Bauchi Local Government

Area.

He said the fund would facilitate the

implementation of the Local Empowerment and

Environmental Management Project (LEEMP)

in the country.

Akinwande said the amount was provided to accelerate infrastructure development in rural communities and to facilitate the execution and management of viable environment projects.

He said 820 communities selected from nine states to participate in the four-year World Bank-assisted programme.

He named the participating states as Adamawa,

Bauchi, Benue, Enugu, Bayelsa, Katsina, Niger,

Imo and Oyo.

Akinmewade said the Bank had achieved over

65 per cent success in the implementation of the

LEEMP projects in some states, noting that the Bank had mapped out strategies to enhance effective monitoring and transparency in the projects execution.

The Bauchi State co-ordinator of the LEEMP

project, Alhaji Nasiru Shehu, said 90 communities were participating in the programme.

Shehu disclosed that N300 million had so far been disbursed to rural communities in the state out of the N600 million set aside for the programme.

``LEEMP has encouraged communities to initiate projects which are people-oriented such as schools, clinics, roads and water," he added.

Earlier, the Bauchi State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Abdullahi Mahmood, said the state government had approved payment of its 50 per cent counter-part funding, to enable the state access the fund.

Mahmood assured the bank of the state government's co-operation and pledged to partner with other donor agencies for the development of the state.
b

Niger,Bauchi,Katsina,Bayelsa~collect billions a year in revenue allocation from source!
This is the Lion of the continent borrowing,oil is at over $60 again,it has been for years~we should not be begging now

Source, please?