By Lawrence Olaoye
The federal government has insisted that the possession of the Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) was not required from prospective beneficiaries of its N10000 TraderMoni program.
A statement made available to newsmen yesterday by the Senior Special Assistant on media and publicity in the Office of the Vice President, Laolu Akande, clarified the speculations that the government was releasing the uncollatarized loans to the traders to woo them for votes ahead of the 2019 general elections.
Akande who gave the assurance that the government would intensify it’s efforts to empower more Nigerians stated, “the petty traders are not required to show PVC, or any document for that matter, they are only expected to show they are petty traders and this is why the enumeration is done in the markets and wherever the traders ply their trades.”
He also explained that those who question the timing of the loans have forgotten that the credit scheme was part of the Social Investment Programme of the Buhari presidency, and had commenced since 2016.
The Trader Moni specifically was conceived in 2016, he disclosed and wondered “must we then suspend the empowerment of the traders just because some people will insinuate motivations? The petty traders whose trades and lives are being positively impacted as they receive the N10,000 are telling a different story from those making political insinuations. And it is their stories that inspire us.”
He continued: “Nigerians already know that the Buhari Administration is one that is projecting the interests of the common man, Nigerians who are at the lower rungs, and this is not a new perception at all.”
This week, the interest-free loans which have now been launched in eight States including the FCT would be extended to more States including Oyo, Cross Rivers, and Kaduna States.
Already the micro-credit scheme has been introduced in the following States: Lagos, Kano, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Katsina Osun, Abuja, FCT and Kogi.
