The minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechuchwu Enelamah has said the various criticisms by members of the opposition against ‘Tradermoni’ is a sign that the scheme is working.
Enelamah made the remark at an interactive session on the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) in Lagos.
Tradermoni is one of the government’s initiative under the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), a programme targeted towards awarding collateral-free loans to two million petty traders across the country.
Enelamah’s remark may not be unconnected with comments by Auwal Rafsanjani, the chairman of Transparency International Nigeria, who described the federal government’s Tradermoni scheme as a vote-buying plot to induce voters ahead of the 2019 general elections.
It was learnt that similar position was also echoed by opposition political parties.
The minister who was speaking on the social intervention programmes of the government said: “I know that there have been a bit of negative publicity by political jobbers or opponents; but for me, it is a sign that it is working.
“We have been going into the rural areas to the provide these support whether is it ‘farmer moni’ or ‘ market moni’ or ‘Tradermoni’, and they are saying, we are sharing money close to elections. Are we suppose to stop because election is approaching? Meanwhile, this is a programme that has been running for three years.”
He said even if some of the current government officials do not return after the elections, he expects the programmes to continue, noting that businesses don’t turn over.
