Daily Trust (Abuja)
Abubakar Ibrahim
10 July 2009
Abuja — Oceanic Bank International Plc has provided N1billion to the Nassarawa state government for onward lending to farmers. The bank's Group Managing Director Mrs. Cecilia Ibru who presented the cheque to the Nasarawa state Governor, Alhaji Aliyu Akwe Doma said the initiative would help individual and cooperative farmers improve their yields, thereby sustaining jobs and tackling poverty.
Ibru, who was represented by the bank's Executive Director, North, Mr. Charles Mekwunye presented the cheque to the governor at a ceremony organized to usher in the new farming season in Garaku local government area of the state on Tuesday.
According to her, "It is not in contention that agricultural growth is a major pre-condition for poverty reduction. Having realized that 60 percent of Nigerians are employed by the agricultural sector, huge resources are needed to develop the sector across the country."
"Oceanic Bank international Plc as a fall out of the Global Leaders Forum set aside the sum of N5billion to fund agriculture in eight pilot states in the northern part of Nigeria. Nasarawa is one of the benefitting states under this scheme."
She added that "the bank in its determination to make the scheme succeed has developed agric products that are simpler and easier for farmers and cooperatives to access. These products are cheaper and less cumbersome than the conventional lending vehicles. Some of these products include but not limited to agro-business support centers, Oceanic Buhu Guarantee Scheme and Oceanic Agric Equipment Guarantee Scheme."
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