CBN’s anchor borrower programme, just a gimmick, say Ijewere, others

NABG Representative, Dr. Emanuel Ijewere

A strong voice in Nigerian Agriculture Business Group (NABG), Dr. Emanuel Ijewere has described the Central Bank of Nigeria Incentive- Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) Anchor Borrower Programme (ABP) as not matched words with action just as many have alleged it of fake inputs being given to farmers and a state in North Central has signified non-continuity with the programme and eruption of crisis in Ogun state.

In his opening remark, Dr. Ijewere said the programme had not met the promises it made using an analogy of friend promising plenty meat when all he could offer was just one piece adding that only people with properties at highbrow places in Abuja and Lagos can easily access such loan.

He said that “the anchor borrower scheme of the CBN is a very well thought out theoretically but not in practice. Last week at Institute of Bankers’ gathering I told them a story of a friend who instructed the houseboy called “Godwin” to put plenty meat on the plate of eba, but ended up just giving one piece of meat. Exactly the same situation is happening to CBN as it came up with beautiful concept of Anchor Borrower Scheme that passes through the commercial banks. But the CBN at the same time made difficult rules that made things very impossible for the banks to proof themselves. 

The CBN says give them plenty of millions and at the same times putting rules that are not practicable. The actual fact is that unless you have properties in a place called “MAVI” you cannot access it. MAVI stands for Maitama, Asokoro, Victoria Island and Ikoyi. If you do not have properties in all these places your chances of getting commercial bank loans is very remote”

Meanwhile in another development, Kaduna state may have tactically withdrawn from the anchor borrower programme due to farmers’ experience in terms of fake seeds provided by the officials, something which did not go down well with the state government which has decided not take part in any activity relating to the programme again.

Also in Ogun state, information reaching us revealed that a popular tuber root commodity association has alleged that the seedling supplied to them were fake when actual arrangement was jettisoned by the NIRSAL officials. A representative of the programme in the state was said may have resigned based on the allegation.