The Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has promised to make use of Ogun State as a model for economic growth of the South West region, in its resolve to create jobs opportunities for the teeming youths, saying the State’s interest in the Anchor Borrower Scheme would reduce rural-urban migration.
Emefiele, who made the submission at the Apex Bank’s Headquarters in Lagos, said the Federal Government of Nigeria was determined to diversify and strengthen the economy through profitable agricultural practices, commending Ogun for being proactive and taking the lead in agricultural industrialization in the South West.
He noted that young agri-preneurs and businessmen would find it rewarding to leave the congested cities for a good life occasioned by profitable agribusiness in the remote areas, once the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) was fully implemented.
The CBN Management, according to Emefiele, however, demanded that the State turn in their work plan, account numbers of farmers, location of mapped land and available processors, noting that the revolution witnessed in rice production in some northern states could be replicated in Ogun State, as the demand for cassava derivatives was high.
Responding, the Ogun State Team, led by the Consultant to the Governor on Agriculture, Dr. Angel Adelaja Kuye, assured that an unprecedented economic growth was underway, pointing out that the state has the largest concentration of cassava processors in the country and would take advantage of the derivatives for an economic turnaround.
In his presentation, the Chairman, Anchor Borrowers Steering Committee, Prof. Adebola Okuneye, said the high demand for cassava products such as tapioca, ethanol, starch, cassava chips, glue and many more, by multi-national companies and pharmaceutical companies, was an added advantage.
According to him, the programme started with sharing knowledge with Kebbi State about ABP and their rice production, affirming that the State was fully ready to participate in the ABP with over 29, 723 hectares of government land available.
(C) Control TV 2019.
