Alleged fraud rocks Delta farm input loan

Alleged fraud has unsettled the Delta input farm loans with serious accusing fingers pointing at the leadership of the farmers’ union.

However, the branch controller, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Delta state, Dame Elizabeth Agu, in a swift reaction, frowned at farmers who allegedly side-sell farm inputs loan given to them to grow their farms with the aim of providing food security as well as reducing poverty in the state.

Dame Agu, who spoke to journalists at the weekend, explained that the essence of the loan was to help the farmers actualize their dreams in positive measures and urge the farmers to desist as a matter of urgency from any acts pending to the success of the ongoing loan programmes.

She said, “It is criminal for anyone to side sell farm inputs, it is a loan which is expected to be repaid, how do we pay back this loan if farmers continue to sell their inputs. Any farmer that side sell inputs does not want the progress of Deltans but only increasing poverty.”

Meanwhile, the chairman of the project monitoring team in the state, Mr. Matthew Badaiki, has said that the farmers were allegedly side selling the feeds in Ughelli and Warri for N5,000, Camp 74, Anwai for N4,000 adding that a new strategy would be applied as all cooperative leaders under the anchor programme must provide irrevocable post-headed cheques and that farmers must confirm received inputs by signing before payment can be processed.

Also, the state Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr. Austin Chikezie, urged Deltans to act differently, describing the act of side selling inputs as criminal and warned that anyone caught would be made to face the law.