By Wole Mosadomi, Minna

Director General, Niger State Millennium Development Goals (MDG), Joshua Nuhu Bawa, says that the state is not indebted on the MDGs counterpart funding, but rather has been counter funding above that of the Federal Government to meet up with its projects.

This is because of the thirst the state has for accelerated development especially in its quest to shake off poverty from the state.

Speaking in an interview with our correspondent in Minna , Niger State, the Director General said, between 2008 to date, the Federal Government has provided a total of N2,064,928751.00 as its grant while the state has also provided N2,160,396,043. 00 as its counterpart funding.

“If you look at the statistics, our counterpart fund surpasses that of the Federal Government because it is supposed to be 50-50 but, on our part in Niger State, we scale up investment because if MDGs is saying we should construct about 20 hospitals, what we do is to scale it up because we are in haste to achieve our Vision 3:2020 of the Chief Servant, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, which is to become one of the best three economies in the country by the year 2020”.

He said one of the focal points especially in the state is on how to wage war against poverty and improve the living standard of the people.