Business
Councillor Tasks CBN On Loan Risk Management
The councillor representing Opobo/Nkoro Ward 5, Hon. Richard Fubara, has admonished the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to put in place, adequate risk management framework, including making it difficult for any Deposit Money Bank (DMB) to obtain credit to finance eligible project at nine percent only to divert same to other usages.
In addition, he stressed that the banking watchdog should be ready to wield the big stick on any bank that supports falsification of documents by any firm issuing bonds for the purpose of accessing the soft loans being made available by the apex bank.
His admonition followed recent unveiling of the CBN credit policy aimed at increasing credit to the real sectors of the nation’s economy, noting that under the new policy, agriculture, manufacturing and other sectors considered as growth and employment stimulating, can borrow long-term as much N10 billion at consolidated nine percent interest-rate.
Fubara, who is chairman, committee on budget, Finance and Appropriation of the Legislative Assembly maintained that the CBN released policy, titled: Guidelines for Accessing Real Sector Support Facility (RSSF) through Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) and Corporate Bonds recently is a step in the right direction.
Speaking with The Tide in Opobo Town, last Thursday, Fubara lauded the apex bank for coming up with the policy as ratified by members of Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) at its recent meeting in Abuja.
As good as the initiative looks, the councilor urged the apex to be wary of commercial banks ploys, adding that any bank circumventing the rule of the game must be thoroughly sanctioned.
According to him, “the CBN should put in place adequate risk management framework, including making it practically difficult for any bank to obtain credit to finance eligible project at 9 percent only to divert same to other usages.”
Bethel Toby