GOVERNOR Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has given a grace of ninety days to indigenous traders to access the sum of two Billion Naira interest -free loan that had been provided for them.
Eno threatened to direct that the funds which was announced during the lunch of the free food voucher programme for the vulnerable held in the month of March at Itam Market be used for other projects if it could not be accessed by the intended beneficiaries within the next 90 days.
According to a statement on Thursday, the governor who spoke during a stakeholders meeting at Government House, Uyo, regretted that the funds have not been accessed due to the traders in-house problem.
His words, “We had announced a two billion Naira Interest-free-loans to our traders and up till now, nobody has accessed that money because of their in-house wahala. That money has been there at the Accountant General’s office and ninety days from today we will send it to any other place
“And let me say it here that in the next ninety days if you (traders) do not use the money, we will use it for something else. Money appreciates, I cannot set aside money forever.
“We have also given money even to the non-indigenes- the Arewa, Yoruba, Igbo, Niger Delta communities but we are waiting for the modality to disburse the funds.
“Never again under my watch will I give money to a group and say to them go and spend. We will want to know when you disburse it, and to whom you disburse it to so that the money can get to the right people”.
The Governor while announcing the 2billion Naira interest -free loan to Akwa Ibom traders, had directed that the funds should be managed by the Ibom Fadama Micro Finance Bank.
It could be recalled that the state government intervention followed complaints by some traders that they were obtaining loans for their businesses with high interest rates.
Source: Vanguard
