By: Tanimu Salihu
House of Representatives has threatened to issue warrant of arrest on the Chief Executive of any Deposit Money Banks that accessed the Anchor Borrower’s scheme funds but failed to appear before its Committee investigating alleged misused of government interventions and Agricultural Funding of the Federal Government.
The Chairman House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security Dr. Chike Okafor issued the threat during the Committee’s investigative hearing.
Dr. Okafor explained that the investigative hearing was not to witch-hunt anybody but to recover and discover systemic failure that resulted to the mismanagement of funds aimed at boosting the nation’s food security.
According to Dr. Okafor, if the funds were judiciously utilized as planned, Nigeria would not have been facing food crises and challenges of food security.
The Chairman emphasized that the investigation would unravel the disbursement of N3 billion to Small holder farmers under National Agriculture Development Fund.
He said, the Green Chamber is determined to ensure full disclosure on all allocated funds to government agencies and other institutions, as well as sanctioned any erring MDAs or organization.
Dr. Okafor pointed out that the tenth Assembly is committed to supporting President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in achieving Food sufficiency for the nation.
The Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, represented by Acting Director of Development Banking, told the committee that some of the banks invited to the hearing had paid off their outstanding balances of the funds under investigation.
