NASSI lauds FG for Trader Moni initiative

August 16, 2018

By Ijendu Iheaka

Imo Anasonye, Director General, National Association of Small and Medium Scale Industrialists (NASSI), Abia state chapter, has commended the government for remembering poor Nigerians in its plan to assist them with“Trader Moni”.

Anasonye gave this commendation in his office on Thursday during an interview with our reporter in Aba.

He said the government must be commended for remembering the people with the idea adding that even though the loan is N10, 000 no amount of money is too small to assist the poor.

“Last year they did the first leg of the programme called the Market Money programme where they disburse from N10,000 to N50, 000 per beneficiary.

“And now they have come up with this one which is called Trader Moni which is season two of that engagement programme.

“I commend the government for coming up with such initiative”, he said.

Anasonye said his worry was that the N10, 000 to be disbursed under the Trader Moni would not impact much on people wanting to do business with it in the present day Nigeria.

He said that the government’s stand that the N10, 000 loan, if taken and not repaid, may result in the blocking of a beneficiary’s Bank Verification Number (BVN) should be changed.

He said that such action would create many casualties hence anybody who could accept a loan of that amount is indeed a poor Nigerian.

He asked the government to review the amount upward as a loan of that amount was too small and would not serve the expected purpose due to high cost of living.

“The government should be bolder to create business money for the poor people in such a way that when they receive it, their businesses will be boosted by the loan,” he said.

Anasonye said the manufacturing sector which should be the nation’s economic bedrock was not getting the deserved attention needed to upgrade its performance for the nation’s economic benefit.

He said that the government’s plan to diversify the economy should make it plan big enough to create a fund that could power large scale production to benefit Nigerians locally and internationally.

He said urged government to ensure that when such funds come, they are not disbursed through government agencies but through private sector organizations to make them achieve their purposes.