Master bakers decry protest over N22.2b cassava bread fund.

The recent protest by members of the Lagos State Chapter of the Nigerian Master Bakers Association over disbursement of the N22.2 billion cassava bread fund has been condemned by the Nigerian Masters Bakers Association, describing it as “politically motivated and mischievous.”

Earlier at a meeting in Lagos, the bakers led by Prince Jacob Adejorin, who is the State Chapter Chairman, faulted federal government’s disbursement process by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) through and the Bank of Industry (BOI) and called for a review.

But in a swift reaction to the protest, the National Chairman of the Association, Sir Simeon Abanulo, at a press briefing in Abuja, attended by other executive members from various chapters, told journalists that “I was surprised to see some bakers from Lagos carrying placards, this is mischief and this is not the time to play politics with food security. We cannot sit down and see some of our members give false information.”

According to the National Chairman, “Over 2,000 bakers have been trained, 171 beneficiaries of the fund have been approved, 96 have benefitted, while the rest are yet to receive due to delay by BOI, which has promised to deliver in the next one week.”
He continued, “Four bakers benefitted in Lagos. We have four beneficiaries in every state. The Chairman of Lagos State Chapter is a beneficiary. If you go to his bakery today, you will see the equipment. He said money given to each baker is too much. It’s not, we are managing it.

Justifying the N14m given to each beneficiary, Sir Abanulo, explained that rotary oven alone costs N7m, while spiral mixer is sold for about N2.5m, and when you add the cost of deep freezer and generator, the N14m will have been exhausted. “A lot of people that carried placards are beneficiaries of the equipment. I don’t know what they want to achieve. I think they are mercenaries,” he noted. 

Also reacting to the protest, the Technical Adviser, Cassava Value Chain, Office of the Minister of Agriculture, Mrs. Oluwatoyin M. Adetunji, told newsmen that the Lagos State Chapter of the association should have considered addressing the issue from the BOI and their national association angles instead of attacking government policy that has good intention.

She, however, pointed out that disbursement of the fund was slow as there are some BOI conditionalities the bakers observed as too rigid adding. “The bank should do its due diligence. But if approval of 171 is given and 96 disbursed, and then something is wrong, may be the process,”