The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Thursday began a two-day sensitisation fair in Abeokuta, to create awareness about its activities.Mr Osita Nwanisiobi, the Acting Director, Corporate Communications Department, CBN, said that the bank attached great importance to sensitisation programmes.The event took place at the DLK Event Centre at Abiola Way.Nwanisiobi said the programme had become necessary to enable the bank acquaint the public with its economic development initiatives.He said it was also to explain the opportunities available and how citizens could take advantage of them.The director said that the programme would help to receive feedbacks from the public for consideration in the development of other policies.He explained that the programme was in tune with the vision of the CBN Governor, which according to him is to operate a people-centred bank.
Nwanisiobi said that CBN’s policies and initiatives were designed to address observed failures in some sectors and with a view to building a strong and sustainable financial system.He, therefore, urged members of the public not only to acquire information about the programmes, but also to take advantage of them.Top officials of the apex bank made presentations on operations of key departments of the institution.In his presentation, Mr Aladeen Badejo, an Asst. Director at the Currency Operations Department, urged the people to consider Nigeria’s currency as a symbol of national identity.
Badejo, who stressed the need to handle the banknotes with care and dignity, expressed concern over the huge amount being spent on reprinting them.He frowned at the manner in which Nigerians mutilate, deface, squeeze, spray and sell the naira notes.
The official said there were penalties for abuse of the currency.Mr Biodun Okunola of the Development Finance Department of the CBN explained that the bank had opened various funding iinitiatives designed to boost the economy with the target of promoting small and medium scale businesses.Okunola said some of the initiatives include the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund (ACGSF), Micro Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSME) Micro Finance Policy, Commercial Agricultural Credit Scheme (CACS) and the Anchor Borrowers’ Scheme. He called on the participants to move closer to the bank and take advantage of the initiatives. (NAN)
