N500billion Anchor Borrowers Fund; Start your probe from Niger, Vatsa, Niger APC Chieftain Tells Tinubu
Former commissioner for Information Culture and Tourism and Chieftain of All Progressive Congress (APC) in Niger state, Hon Jonathan Tsado Vatsa has urged President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to Begin his probe into the alleged misappropriation of the N500billion Anchor Borrowers Fund from Niger state.
The outspoken APC Chieftain said President Tinubu would have written his name in gold if he make bold his statement and go ahead to probe the disbursement of the anchor Borrowers Fund, saying that he will be the happiest person if such probe can begin from Niger state.
Vatsa who was reacting to President Tinubu pronouncement that he will look into how the billions of tax payers money was disbursed and utilized under the anchor Borrowers scheme from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), pointed out that he was aware that a whopping sum of N4 billion was received by the Niger state government from the CBN but how the money was disbursed remains a mystery.
According to Vatsa in a live radio phone in programme monitored in Minna on Tuesday, “We will be interested to know those farmers that benefited from this anchor Borrowers fund in Niger State. “Are they the same farmers that were chased away from their farms and their ancestral homes by bandits or the farmers in government house and supervising ministries.
“We saw how sharing formula of the state N4 billion anchor Borrowers fund led to a serious fight in the state among the “air-conditioned farmers”, while the real farmers who were the targeted beneficiaries use hoes, cutlass and in some cases, bare hands to weed their farms in communities where there is no bandits activities.
“It is a welcome development to hear President Tinubu said he wants to probe the disbursement and utilization of the fund. The anchor Borrowers scheme was a scam, and I strongly urged Mr. President to start the probe from Niger state”, he said.
Vatsa said those who think that the anchor Borrowers fund was a national cake and ended up sharing it among their family members, friends and cronies must be brought to face the law.
The pionner publicity secretary of APC in the state however warned that it will be a disservice to the country if the President decided to politize his probe of the anchor Borrowers fund by limiting it to opposition parties states alone, stressing that “that is the only way Nigerians will know if the President is serious with his anti corruption crusade.
“Regardless of party affiliation, the President should beam his searchlight on all the states of the Federation. This is not the era of “if you join APC your sins are forgiven”, no, let us not politize corruption in this country”.
He maintained that the anchor Borrowers scheme was well intended by was hijacked by some states government, including Niger state, and the fund openly diverted by those that matters in the government to the detriment of poor farmers in the country.
