…CBN Account Opening Week (AOW)
The Executive Governor of Ebonyi State, Engr. David Nweze Umahi has declared his total support for the Federal Government to maintain the closure of the Nigerian border in order to curtail the level of smuggling of fake products and for security reasons. He made this declaration on Monday, December, 2nd, 2019 at the flag-off event of CBN Account Opening Week(AOW) in Abakaliki.
He stated the support of the Central Bank, CBN of Nigeria for the Border to remain closed, saying that the value of the naira would come to something better.
Governor Umahi further revealed how poisonous some imported food items are for human consumption, commending the Security Agencies whose surveillance led to the arrest of some smugglers and as a result noted that the Smugglers involved will not go unpunished for posing threat to security.
“As a person, I stand with Mr President for closing the Border. If you are sensitive, you will find out that our security challenges viz-a-viz the foreign herdsmen slaughtering and raping which is almost becoming a thing of the past is not helping lives. And this is all we say: why should we allow these foreign herdsmen that were all killers to our people to continue to come into Nigeria in the name of ECOWAS duty. We also support Mr President because our farmers were known for Agriculture. Before now, the cost of producing a bag of rice was always more than the selling price of the rice but today, our farmers are happy, not only that we, Ebonyians, are giving to the nation healthy rice, we are also making money.
You may not know the amount of poison that is being smuggled into this country in the name of rice, we have had a lot of poisons smuggled into Ebonyi State in the name of foreign rice. We have to weigh the options of eating poisons, the option of killer-people crossing the Border in the name of ECOWAS duty and then the benefits of having life.
Quote me anywhere, I support Mr President all the way in the closure of the Border and I commend him for the courage to close it; even when other nations are warning him to open it, what’s their business? Our nation should not be a dumping ground.
And I want to say that CBN supports the Border closure because it has helped to show the value of Nigerian Currency (Naira).
I commend the Security Agents who had arrested these people earlier. Before now, the arrest was almost daily at the Afikpo Beach. We have arrested many of them and they are detained in Government house and of course, we are taking these smugglers to Court and they will pay a fine of 5 to10 million naira. We shall obtain a Court order to burn the rice because they are all poisonous. “”
On the other hand, while reacting to the 43.6% exclusion rate of Account Opening in Ebonyi, the Governor requested CBN to open, at least, one branch of a bank in each of the 13 Local Government Areas of the state as such will automatically drop the exclusion rate to a possible zero percentage (0%) level.
The Vice Controller of CBN in the State, Mr Christian Adayo noted that the Account Opening is simultaneously taking place in 5 other states some of which include Bayelsa, Ondo, Kano, Nasarawa. He said that the idea behind Account Opening Week is to drive activities towards achieving the set target of financial exclusion of 2019, which is 8.3 million in 2019 and 8.2 million in 2020 all over Nigeria.
Similarly, 47,000 new accounts and BVN are to be created in 2019 and 50,000 new accounts and BVN in 2020 for Ebonyi adults who are yet to enrol themselves.
In the same vein, the Head of Development Finance of the CBN, described Account Opening Week as a week set aside for all bankable adults (18yrs and above) that have not opened account or enrolled into valid BVN to do so and on that note advised those who fall under this category to cease the opportunity for proper enrollment as it will only last for 7days.
By Udo Akam-Alo
Internal Link:
Tax Appeal Tribunal Wakes To Duty In Ebonyi
External Links:
Smugglers Thrive as Nigeria Tries to Keep Foreign Rice Away
