Former Deputy President of the Senate Ike Ekweremadu has made his displeasure known over the inability of most farmers in Enugu State to obtain agricultural loans disbursed by the government and has pledged to assist them in accessing financial resources through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The former senator made this pledge during a courtesy visit from members of the Enugu State Amalgamated Farmers Cooperative Society, which covers the state’s 17 councils.
Ekweremadu is currently representing the Enugu West Senatorial District in his fifth term and is also known for having served as deputy president over three consecutive Senates.
Senator Donates Fertilizer to Farmers
He expressed that the farmers’ visit was intended to lay the foundation for a better tomorrow and to form a partnership. He also said that he would pay more attention to the CBN’s agric loans for the benefit of farmers across the state.
“We will do something possible to address the problem and support you. Your counterparts in the North have been getting the loan and I do not know you people have not been getting.
“We hope to change the farming you do here to modern and advanced farming as is done abroad. We hope to replicate advanced farming or agriculture in this part of the world,” Ekweremadu said.
Central Bank Pledges Support for Farmers and Banks
Earlier in the visit, Chief Obi Okonkwo, leader of the cooperative, shared with Ekweremadu that one of the major challenges facing farmers was an inability to access loans from both the state and federal governments.
“We don’t always have access to the loans for farmers given by the state government or the Federal Government via the CBN. We would like you to assist us in this regard,” Okonkwo said.
