Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has alleged that politics has been used to deny the state access to agricultural loans offered by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Governor Wike made the accusation when he hosted the Minister of State for Agriculture, and Rural Development, Mustapha Baba Shehuri at Government House, Port Harcourt, on Monday.
The governor decried the situation where every issue in the country including agriculture has been politicised instead of implementing such policy dispassionately to achieve the intended food security and jobs for the youths.
“I think, I am one of those States that nobody gives loans for agriculture. I don’t know what hatred the Central Bank Governor has for us? We do not know.
“We have been hearing of ANCHOR borrower this and ANCHOR that. But when it concerns Rivers State, you will hear a lot of things.”
Governor Wike explained that in an idle situation devoid of politics, the Central Bank of Nigeria will partner with the Rivers State government to achieve the objectives of setting up the State owned cassava processing plant.
“Please tell the Governor of Central Bank to remember us too, that we are part of Nigeria. When we applied, they said this loan was N5 billion. We have applied for more than 1year now. They said we should bring this and bring that.
“They said we should bring the co-orporative societies and I say this where the politics comes from. If I want to eat government money, I can seat here and write coorporative societies. Previous administration took loan and said they gave it to coorporative societies of over N3billion. Who are these corporative societies? And the money went off like that.
“And we are telling you see the cassava processing plant that you are supposed to say we will buy into this , we will support the State government. Nothing has happened.”
Governor Wike said even without the loans from the Central Bank of Nigeria, his administration is achieving a revolution in cassava processing that will create jobs for youths and enduring patronage for farmer folks.
“It is not in dispute that to take the country out of where we are, agriculture is key. If we are sincere with reality that agriculture will employ a lot of our youths; give them jobs and achieve food security, then we must do it in such a way that we really mean what we say.”
The governor said the State government will invite the Minister of Agriculture to commission the cassava processing plant. According to him, many companies have keyed in already to buy off what will be processed.
“We have over 3000 farmers who have registered. From them, the company will buy off all their produce. We are happy with this feat.”
Other stakeholders in agriculture have expressed same surprise why the Central Bank of Nigeria is not giving Agribusiness loans to many states in the South-South.
In a thorough investigation carried out by 9news Nigeria, in verious South-South States, it has been discovered that loans applications submitted by Southerners to NIRSAL Microfinance Bank, a Microfinance Bank which select beneficiaries for all Agribusiness loans for Cental Bank of Nigeria to release funds to applicants does always see the light of the day.
As earlier said by Rivers State Governors, applications from Southern States are more than one year with NIRSAL, some over two years when discovered that the application is from Southern Nigeria.
In 9news Nigeria room analysis, Southerners are surprised that the incumbent Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emiefiele is even a Southerner but usually approved loans at the press of a button to Northerners, but when Southerners apply the application passes through several inspections, interviews, many scrutiny and yet the loan will not be approved.
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