BOA accused of sabotaging FG”s efforts to boast agric sector

Zaria based large scale farmer, Alhaji Isyaku Usman has alleged that those entrusted with the Federal Government Anchor Borrowers Programme for farmers across the country are sabotaging the effort of the Federal Government. He disclosed this while speaking with journalists on Thursday in Kaduna where he alleged that some of the off-takers of the Federal […]

Zaria based large scale farmer, Alhaji Isyaku Usman has alleged that those entrusted with the Federal Government Anchor Borrowers Programme for farmers across the country are sabotaging the effort of the Federal Government.

He disclosed this while speaking with journalists on Thursday in Kaduna where he alleged that some of the off-takers of the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Central Bank (FGN/CBN) Anchor Borrowers Programme are diverting all the farm inputs and Agricultural Loan Fund approved by the Federal Government for their own use.

He alleged that a seed production firm based in Zaira has been constantly involved in the shady deals of diverting farm inputs, seeds, fertilizer, chemicals and cash which the Federal Government approved for farmers in connivance with officials of the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) in Kaduna.

In the letter of complaints to the Managing Director Bank of Agriculture in Kaduna dated 30th May, 2017, Alhaji Isyaku Usman said as one of the beneficiaries of the FGN/CBN Anchor Borrowers Programme in Zaria who applied for loan and other inputs to farm five hectares of land on the 14th of November, 2016, the Bank of Agriculture Zaria Branch only disbursed N190,000 and 25 bags of fertilizers to farmers to farm within one month and repay back with farm produces.

He said, "The actions of the officials contravened the intention of the Government and the Programme and in an attempt to frustrate the programme connived with the off-takers.”

He added that all “Our farm input and the balance of cashing supposed to be distributed or disbursed were diverted to unknown places."

The farmer who called for investigation into the matter expressed shock at the attitude of the officials of the Bank of Agriculture whose duty is the exercise of processing, coordinating the progamme and the loan, but were found wanting in all fronts.

However, when contacted on the development, Public Relation Officer of the Bank of Agric, Mr. Oluremi Olaoye denied the allegation.

Mr. Oluremi, who said the process of getting inputs and payment is transparent, added that  there are many checks and balances involved to get the payment and there is no way the bank can divert money or inputs meant for the farmers.

According to him, "You might need to investigate and verify for yourself, because they are telling you lies. For the inputs, we don’t touch or distribute them, it does not come to us, so how can we divert inputs we don’t touch?

"CBN has their verified input suppliers, the anchors get the input, they give the inputs to the farmers directly and when they are disbursing the inputs, CBN is there with them, we are also there as witnesses."

"The registration process requires you to have a Bank Verification Number BVN and the farmer’s ATM is linked to his BVN.  It’s only when the farmers have validated and signed that they collect those inputs that they will now go to PPN, which is under project monitoring unit where they will tell us if they are real or not. 

"Every anchor distribute inputs to his own farmers,  so the inputs does not come to us," Olaoye explained.

When contacted on phone, the chairman Tukunyar Gwari Seed Nigeria Limited, Hakimi Nuhu Lawal Umar denied all the allegations, adding that some of the farmers who benefited from the programme through his company have defaulted in payment and that was the reason they were taken to court.