By KETRA KALUNGA
NO single fuel tanker from the 50 that have been procured has been abandoned in Tanzania, Youths, Sports and Arts Minister, Elvis Nkandu has clarified.
And Mr. Nkandu cautioned youth cooperatives that would benefit from the fuel tankers on a loan basis against the tendency of not paying for the equipment because they are government property.
Mr. Nkandu said the tankers which docked at Dar es Salaam port in Tanzania from China, were in transit and were expected to arrive in the country any day next week.
He also said it was not true that all the fuel tankers that were recently procured had gone to beneficiaries before they were handed over to the ministry.
“There is no tanker that has been abandoned, they were coming from China enroute to Zambia using the Dar es Salaam port in Tanzania and they will be going to the company that has procured them on behalf of the government before they are handed over to the ministry,” he said.
Mr. Nkandu advised the beneficiaries to avoid entertaining the notion anything that any loan that comes from the government should not be paid back because such thoughts were detrimental to development.
He said, “there is this attitude that anything that comes from the government should not be paid back even when it doesn’t ask for collateral and yet we know that they are able to pay back to micro-finance institutions who ask for collateral.”
Mr. Nkandu urged the youth to ensure that they pay back because this was a loan which is a revolving fund meant to benefit other youths.
No fuel tankers abandoned in Tanzania – minister
