NAN-AE-8
Loan
Abuja, Oct. 11, 2016 (NAN) Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State on Tuesday said the state had set up special courts for the recovery of the N2 billion loans granted to farmers.
The N2 billion was distributed to farmers under the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Anchor Borrowers’ scheme.
Ganduje made the disclosure at a news conference in Abuja after he had visited Vice President
Yemi Osinbajo to discuss developmental issues confronting the state.
He said “the anchor borrowers’ scheme is working very well; we got N2 billion loan from the CBN and we distributed same to actual farmers.
“To recover the money, however, we decided to set up special courts that will try those who may not want to pay back.
“That is the problem of a mega city; when you give money and people think that it is free money but business cannot be as usual.”
The governor added that the state government was doing very well in agriculture, “especially in dry season farming which it had invested so much.”
He said the government was now dealing directly with farmers and not vendors, thus making it possible for it to know the concerns of farmers in terms of improved seedlings, fertilizer, and other inputs.
Ganduje said his administration had also provided enabling environment for farmers to work by providing them with farm inputs.
“I gave them (farmers) over N100 million for them to get improved seeds and we bought seeds for wheat and rice,’’ he said.
He said he paid a visit to Osinbajo to discuss issues, especially youth unemployment and efforts the administration was making so far and the kind of attention Kano State needed as a mega city.
“I am here because Kano is a mega city with some peculiar problems of security and unemployment.
“The message of hope is that the Federal Government will look into those problems.
“You know our market was burnt and billions of Naira was lost and so I think something will come out of it.’’
On the arrest of some judges in the country and the recommendation for the sack of a judge from Kano, the governor said “what is happening now is a welcome development.”
According to him, President Muhammadu Buhari was serious about fighting corruption and that aspect (of arrests) is a note of caution.
“The state government is behind him (Buhari), and in fact the state government has established an anti-corruption outfit which is working very hard to complement Federal Government’s efforts.”
Ganduje said he was in support of the trial of the Kano judge and others implicated in corruption, stressing that “if the court finds him or them guilty worthy to be jailed, that is okay.’’ (NAN)
DCU/AOM/HA
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(Edited by Abdullahi Mohammed/Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu)