Nigerians have seen some truth come to light under this young Bola Tinubu administration and they are sure that more are coming.
For too long, many corrupt practices in government have over the years been swept under the carpet.
Such practices will not continue for much longer if people will speak up as they should.
A group, Association of Micro-Entrepreneurs of Nigeria (AMEN) is not willing to watch things go bad.
Amen is asking SMEDAN to reveal how it shared ₦7 billion among MSMEs in Nigeria.
Also, the association counters claim of ₦7bn reportedly allocated to SMEs, and it is calling for a probe of SMEDAN.
You see, when accountability and transparency become entrenched in the activities of government, you will know that Nigeria is getting better.
Furthermore, the national president of the Association of Micro Entrepreneurs of Nigeria, Prince Saviour Ichie, is championing the call for a probe into the activities of SMEDAN.
Ichie refuted reports making the rounds that SMEDAN allocated ₦7 billion to MSMEs.
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He, therefore, called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to probe the report on the allocation of ₦7 billion to MSMEs within the next 100 days.
EFCC Must Probe DG Of SMEDAN
Ichie urged the EFCC to probe the Director-General of SMEDAN, Charles Odii, for misappropriation of funds.
According to him, “the Business Member Organisation “BMO” has over 20,000 members across the nation.”
Findings by the stakeholders of “BMO” revealed that not one member benefited from the purported allocation of ₦7 billion to micro-entrepreneurs.
To this effect, the “BMO” demands to know the names and companies of micro-entrepreneurs to whom the ₦7 billion was allocated.
B.M.O. Never Benefited From The ₦7 billion Allocation
Ichie said the “BMO” consists of 5 recognised micro-entrepreneurs associations: MAN, AMEN, NASEME, NASE, and ASBON.
Unfortunately, no member from any of these organisations benefited from the ₦7 billion allocation, Ichie said.
Furthermore, the AMEN national president said: “We know that the government will eventually release some money.
“Our challenge, however, are the people saddled with the responsibility of distributing the funds”.
Bedrock Of The Economy
He revealed that Micro-entrepreneurs are the bedrock of an economy, and also the largest employers of labour.
However the recent rise in the dollar and partially opened borders is affecting micro businesses badly, and they are closing down.
Iche further revealed that he applied for a Lagos state government grant for micro-entrepreneurs in 2022.
After his business and documentation were accessed, he was qualified for a ₦20 million grant but was cleared for ₦10 million.
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In excitement, Iche said he planned to employ more labour and expand his business as well as help members benefit largely from the scheme.
But to his dismay, he was signed up for ₦90,000 and made to sign for ₦10 million but received only ₦90,000 which still didn’t get to his account.
He said this and many other similar situations have left micro-entrepreneurs frustrated amid the high prices of raw materials.
The rumour of ₦7 billion given to micro-entrepreneurs remains a rude shock amid the suffocating situation they have suffered in the last 9 years.
