Pascal Oparada
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has sounded the alarm to small and medium-sized business owners and other loan seekers not to pay any money in order to access its N500 billion Stimulus package meant to cushion the effect of Coronavirus.
The bank disclosed this via its Twitter handle on Monday that some unscrupulous people are demanding for a processing fee from prospective loan seekers in order to access the loan facility.
According to a statement signed by its Director of Communications, Issac Okoroafor, the apex bank explained that the loans are provided to cushion the effects of COVID-19 businesses and would not require any amount to process such loan facility.
“For the avoidance of doubt, there are clearly spelt out procedures for accessing the N50 billion TCF stimulus package to support households and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which are disbursed through the NIRSAL Microfinance Bank (NMFB).
“Members of the public, particularly households and owners of small-scale
businesses, are therefore advised to disregard any message requiring them to
pay any amount to process their applications.
“Prospective applicants are advised to approach NIRSAL Microfinance Bank or the CBN branch nearest to them for clarification on the procedure for accessing any of the CBN-related loans. Any observed irregularities should be reported to the Consumer Protection Department of the CBN via cpd@cbn.gov.ng.”
