The Ogun State House of Assembly has invited additional key stakeholders and officials linked to the Federal Government’s Anchor Borrowers Programme, following mounting concerns over alleged unauthorized deductions from the personal savings of some participants.
Those invited include Mr. Segun Adewunmi, a former National President of the Nigeria Cassava Growers’ Association (NCGA); the association’s Ogun State chapter chairman, Prince Akinbode Adeleye; officials of the Nigeria Agriculture Mechanization and Equipment Leasing Company (NAMEL); representatives of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN); and officials from Wema Bank.
The invitation was issued by the Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, Hon. Waliu Owode, during a follow-up session held at the Assembly Complex in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta. The session featured representatives of Wema Bank and some of the victims who participated in the Anchor Borrowers Programme.
Owode, alongside other lawmakers, also extended invitations to officials of the Ogun State Ministry of Agriculture and the former Programme Manager of the State Agricultural Development Programme (OGADEP), Pastor Taiwo Ayansanwo.
The Committee has mandated Wema Bank to immediately halt further debits on the accounts of affected individuals who were enrolled as subscribers to the scheme.
“We are committed to ensuring that justice is done and every kobo deducted from the personal savings of our people is accounted for,” Hon. Owode said. “This invitation is necessary to give us a clearer understanding of the financial dealings surrounding this scheme and to ensure a refund where appropriate.”
In addition, the Committee directed Wema Bank to submit detailed documentation, including records of all accounts that were credited, correspondence from all commodity growers involved in the programme, and a list of all service providers. These documents are to be presented at the next meeting scheduled for Thursday, April 17, 2025.
“This House will not stand by and watch innocent citizens be defrauded under any guise,” Owode emphasized. “We must get to the root of this issue and restore confidence in government-backed programmes.”
