Drop Your Weapons And Embrace Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, CBN Gov begs Bandits

Governor of the Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele, has urged bandits to lay down their weapons and support the Federal Government’s Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP).

When asked about the initiative at the end of a two-day Monetary Policy Committee meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, Emefiele indicated that embracing it will help the robbers.

“I would like to appeal to our brothers, who decide that they want to live in bushes and forests that they should please, begin to retreat, drop their arms and come and embrace Anchor Borrowers’ Programme.

“If they do so, it will help them but if they choose not to do so, they will be confronted by the security as this battle continues,” Emefiele said.

In addition, the governor of Nigeria’s central bank stated that security and the economy are intertwined, stating that “if you expect an economy to flourish, the degree of insecurity must be low because if there is a high degree of insecurity, the economy will suffer.”

He, on the other hand, voiced hope about security forces’ efforts to address Nigeria’s many difficulties, stating that the country will get six fighter jets before the end of the year.

“I am optimistic that the security operatives are doing their best to tackle insecurity,” the CBN boss noted.

“About three years ago, the Federal Government and the United States signed a pact that resulted in a government to government acquisition of military equipment out of which we are expecting 12 Tucano aircraft or fighter planes that will help combat insecurity.

“I am aware that six of them are coming to the country in the month of July and August. I am optimistic before the end of the year, around the year of the end, the security challenges confronting the country will substantially abate.”

President Muhammadu Buhari introduced the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) in November 2015 with the goal of establishing a relationship between anchor enterprises involved in processing and Smallholder Farmers (SHFs) of essential agricultural commodities.

The ABP’s main goal, according to Nigeria’s central bank, is to provide smallholder farmers with farm inputs in kind and cash (for agricultural labor) in order to enhance output of key commodities, stabilize input supply to agro-processors, and resolve the country’s negative food balance of payments.

The CBN effort aims to increase economic growth by encouraging economic diversification and reducing over-reliance on crude oil profits.