The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Audu Ogbeh, has requested the Bank of Industry (BOI) to finance youths in agro-businesses, Small and Medium Enterprises to boost employment.
Ogbeh made the appeal when a management team of the bank, lead by the Acting Managing Director, Mr Waheed Olagunju, visited him on Tuesday in Abuja.
Ogbeh said that if the economy of the country would grow, there was need to encourage the youth to live up to expectations as future leaders.
“If the youth must live up to their dreams and actualise their dreams, they need to grow.
“Please do what you can to shift the focus, not to neglect the old but focus more on the youth by lending to the youth to enable them to grow.
“Do what you can for the future is in your hands, let’s restore scattered dreams back to life, ‘’ Ogbeh said.
The minister urged Nigerian youths to also ensure that loans given to them were repaid to enable younger generations to benefit.
He called for more support from the bank and assured that loans given to youths would be paid back.
Olagunju said that the bank could lend up to N10 million to youths without relying on conventional security arrangement.
Olagunju said that the bank had been adjusting its risk expectations critically, particularly when it affected lending to youths.
“We assure you that we are up to the task and we will do accordingly, ‘’ Olagunju said. (NAN)