The Katsina State Government has refuted the claim by the Debt Management Office (DMO) that the Governor Dikko Radda-led administration has increased the state’s debt profile.

A report recently published by the DMO indicated that Katsina under Governor Radda, together with some other states of the federation, collected fresh loans to worsen their prevailing debt crises.

The spokesperson to the Governor, Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed, however, in a statement on Wednesday, faulted the report, stating that the Governor Radda-led government has preoccupied itself with repaying subsisting loans secured by previous administrations since it came on board.

The statement further noted that not a single new loan has been collected by the present All Progressives Congress (APC) government in the state under Governor Radda.

“This is not to say that the state government will not borrow whenever the need arises. It could borrow to improve the lot of its people and the state in general.

“At the moment, however, there is no new loan. While we appreciate the efforts of the media in keeping the public informed about government activities, we regret any inconvenience the publication might have caused.

“We call on the media, and the members of the public to continue to support the present administration in its effort to provide meaningful projects to uplift the living standard of its citizenry,” the statement added.