Business
BoI Disburses N969.6bn In Five Years
The Bank of Industry (BoI) has disbursed loans worth N969.7 billion to borrowers in five years to support various businesses.
BoI Deputy Head, Business Development, Mrs Aderonke Akinluyi, disclosed this at a webinar by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) in Lagos, yesterday.
Akinluyi said the funds were disbursed between 2015 and 2020 to over three million Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and 653 large enterprises.
Speaking on the theme: “Funding Opportunities for Businesses in the Bank of Industry,” Akinluyi said the bank during the period created 6.98 million direct and indirect jobs.
She also disclosed that the bank was currently collaborating with over 330 Business Development Service Providers (BDSPs) to offer advisory and business support services aimed at improving intending MSMEs.
“Our business model reflects our goal to drive development through financial and advisory support to all customer levels, with dedicated teams for MSMEs, youth and women led enterprises.
“Our collaboration with the BDSPs ensures that the MSMEs are almost handheld in structuring, and preparing their business models and plans.
“The collaboration also provides other entrepreneurial training as required and are split across the regional, state and national categories,” she said.
Divisional Head, SME, South, BoI, Mr Obaro Osah,debunked some perceptions associated with accessing funding from the bank.
Some of the perceptions, he said were, the need to know and pay someone at the BoI, the one year wait of processing to access funds and the myth that the bank only supported manufacturing industries.
“The loan application approval processing timeline for loans below N10 million is four weeks, loans between N10 and N100 million is six to eight weeks.
“Loans above N100 million to N500 million is eight to10 weeks,” he said.
Group Head, Engineering and Technology, BoI, Mr Femi Shittu, listed the bank’s selected loan products to include: agro mechanisation, food and agro commodity processing and commercialisation of the solar energy.
“The selected managed intervention fund include the Nigerian Artisanal and Small Scale Miners Finance Support Fund of N2.5 billion with a five per cent per annum interest rate.
“The Nigerian Content Intervention Fund of 350 million dollars to support indigenous oil and gas players is also available,” Shittu said.
In her remarks, President, LCCI, Mrs Toki Mabogunje, said limited access to funding was one of the biggest constraints facing businesses, especially MSMEs.
Mabogunje noted that a report by PriceWaterhouse Coopers, revealed that Nigerian SMEs had a funding gap of about N617 billion as of 2019.
According to her, evidence shows that majority of Nigerian MSMEs have not significantly benefited from available financing opportunities in the country.
Speaking at the Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG) dinner at the 21st Nigerian Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition in Abuja, Komolafe said “as at today, I am proud to say that indigenous companies contribute about 30 per cent of crude oil and 20 per cent of the gas production, as well as 40 per cent and 32 per cent of oil and gas reserves.”
He diclosed that seven indigenous companies are among the top 20 companies with the highest oil reserves in Nigeria.
Komolafe noted that the commission is not oblivious of the threat posed to the development of the hydrocarbon industry by divestments of the International Oil Companies (IOCs).
The impetus for divestment by the IOCs, according to him, is mainly attributable to the hostile upstream petroleum environment arising from crude oil theft and energy transition as a global response to the advocacy for reduction in carbon emissions.
As far as NUPRC is concerned, he stated, IPPG and other prospective indigenous players should see the IOCs divestment in some of the upstream assets as an opportunity rather than a threat to the development of the Nigerian upstream petroleum sector.
“It is indeed the right time to look inwards in the sector to prove the capability of the local content in value addition and optimising development of the nation’s hydrocarbon resources”, he emphasised.
The theme of the event was ‘International Oil Industry Divestments- Nigeria’s Energy Security, and The Role of the IPPG in this New Mix’.
Ihetu, an octogenarian who had been in the oil and gas sector since 1959, said this while speaking to newsmen at the 5th Nigeria Entrepreneurial Summit and Honours Foundation (NESH) Oil and Gas Roundtable Series in Port Harcourt.
Giving reasons for the huge unemployment indices in the country, in spite of having huge oil and gas reserves, Ihetu stated that the oil and gas sector does not actually employ a lot of people due to the way it is structured, noting that there were inputs from the industry, capable of creating employment if well managed.
According to him, “the industry itself does not employ many people, but there are inputs that are capable of creating employment in the economy, like the Ajaokuta steel plant, petrochemicals”.
He continued that the oil and gas businesses, in which the government had majority share and played managerial role, did not strive due to incessant hire and fire of top officers, adding that such constant removal of captains of such establishments would not allow for continuity of laudable projects.
“30 to 40 years ago, there was a pipeline sending gas to Ajaokuta plant. Can you imagine if that plant had succeeded, the number of people that would be employed? But that huge complex is lying waste and there are many such complexes scattered across the country that are not producing much”, he explained.
He observed that the private sector-driven companies such as Eleme Petrochemical, were doing well, “ but you come to government-owned establishment, you find that the ability to sustain those plants like the refinery is lacking, why?
“Government’s interference, government’s lack of support in making sure that these establishments were created. If the Port Harcourt refinery was working it would create more jobs for the youths.
“So the oil industry itself is not one that creates a lot of jobs but the pinups from the industry, gas into petrochemicals, gas into power, gas into manufacturing create a lot of jobs.
“Unfortunately, some of those establishments that are government-run have not done very well”, he said.
He urged government to sell majority stake to private sector and let NNPC be a minority shareholder.
By: Tonye Nria-Dappa
This amounts to an increase of N78 billion over the N37,097,63.91 in the corresponding period of 2021. The net was N68,597,503,002 in 2020.
Onne Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Auwal Mohammed, disclosed this in a statement made available to our correspondent by the Public Relations Officer of the command, SC. Ifeoma Onuigbo Ojekwu.
According to the statement, the command recorded 28 seizures, comprising nine containers with a duty paid value (DPV) of N531,386,166.78 in the period under review.
“This year’s number of seizures is higher by 20 numbers between January and June 2021.
“Among the siezed goods are machetes brought into the country without end users certificate, military wears, vegetable oil, whisky, soap and used clothing.
Others include used tyres, foreign parboiled rice, tomato paste, used vehicle parts and others classified as uncustoms goods.
“There is a corresponding decline in smuggling activities accasioned by the aggressive anti-smuggling operation of the ommand.
“This is in order to ensure total compliance with the policy thrust of the Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hammed Ali (rtd) and the extant law of the service”, Mohammed said.
On export, Mohammed said,”our export drive has also yield Fruitful dividends. A total number of 876,775.60 metric tonnes with $495,384,221.99 Free on Board (FOB) value translated into N203,969,499,562 and Nigeria Export Supervision Scheme (NESS) valued N1,075,060,914.52 were also processed during the period under review.
“It is petinent, therefore, to sound this note of warning that our eagle- eyed officers are very much on red alert to checkmate the activities of those who thrive on evasion of customs duties on their consignments”, he stated.
By: Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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