Reps probe N1.12tr Anchor Borrowers fund, others
From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate alleged mismanagement of ₦1.12 trillion Anchor Borrowers Fund and ₦215. 066 billion Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) fund.
Consequently, the House mandated its Committees on Nutrition and Food Security as well as the Committee on Agricultural Production and Services; Agricultural Colleges and Institutions and Finance to undertake the probe.
The Committees, which is expected to report back to the House, in four weeks, is also expected to probe the disbursement of ₦3 billionto 22,120 smallholder farmers by the Bank of Industry ( BoI) through the Agriculture Value chain financing (AVCF) Programme.
Similarly, the panel is to probe the management of N5 Billion facility to the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) for livestock farmers across the country, as well as the management of the National Agricultural Development ₦1.6 billion Recovery Fund for the Ginger Blight Epidemics Central Taskforce (GBECT) for the control of Blight disease in Ginger, among other interventions.
This followed the adoption of a motion by the member representing Ehime Mbano/ Ihitte Uboma/ Obowo Federal Constituency of Imo State, Chike Okafor,
on the “alleged Mismanagement of Government Agricultural Initiatives and Funding by Departments, Agencies and Government Programmes Outside the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security”.
Okafor, in his lead debate, said there is a link between growing food scarcity and malnutrition in Nigeria and alleged mismanagement of agricultural funds intended for agricultural development in the country.
He noted that though the Federal Government has expended two trillion Naira in the last eight years on various agriculture schemes and interventions, alleged mismanagement of the funds and abuse of the programs has left Nigeria is with the twin challenges of food scarcity and malnutrition.
According to him,”As the House should be aware there have been reports and allegations of abuse, mismanagement, and misapplication of government intervention funds earmarked for agricultural development and food security initiative in Nigeria.
“Funds advanced to end users of the various Federal Government interventions have also been allegedly misused, misapplied and channelled to non-farming and non-agricultural purposes, hence the current acute scarcity of food”.
