Written by Odidison Omankhanlen, Idowu Samuel, Taiwo Adisa and Leon Usigbe
Monday, May 24, 2010
IN preparation for the 2011 elections, politicians have now invaded banks for credit facilities in various banks to actualise their ambitions, Nigerian Tribune has gathered.
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The development, it was gathered, may not be unconnected with the Central Bank of Nigeria's (CBN's) directives on credit facilities to politicians.
A top bank executive, who pleaded anonymity, told the Nigerian Tribune at the weekend that CBN directing banks to resume lending to politicians was unfortunate.
According to him, politicians are well known not to keep promises, stating that the current directive can lead to another era of non-performing loans in the sector.
In his contribution, a financial analyst and Chief Operating Officer, Twinsronk Consulting, Mr. Okechukwu Amadi, said for the apex bank to have reversed itself was highly regrettable.
He observed that though there were stringent conditions for accessing credit facilities in the various banks, the politicians would always want to circumvent such rules..
He submitted that though the apex bank had no right to bar banks from issuing credits to any group of people, it must ensure the conditions were strictly followed.
"The fact is that the CBN cannot debar banks from lending to a set of people. What they should do is to ensure politicians meet the stipulated conditions or else the proposed AMC meant to take care of bad debts in the financial system will be of no effect," he warned.
As a result, confusion has enveloped the banking industry following CBN's current directive to banks to resume lending to politicians.
Investigations by Nigerian Tribune revealed that the apex bank had initially instructed banks to be wary of politicians thronging various banks for credit facilities in preparation for 2011 elections, stressing that they were capable of throwing the sector back to crisis.
It was in view of this that the apex bank earlier threatened to sanction banks that failed to comply with its directive on the use of credit information from credit bureaus before granting any loans.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that following sustained pressure mounted on the CBN governor, Mallam Lamido Sanusi, especially in the light of the recent political developments in the country, the apex bank had to retrace its steps by issuing directive to banks to start lending to politicians, denying that it ever instructed banks not to lend to them.
Only last week, the CBN, in a statement signed by its Head, Corporate Affairs, Mr. Mohammed Abdullahi, entitled 'No Directive To Banks Against Lending To Politically Exposed Persons', stated that it had never directed Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) to stop granting credit facilities to PEPs, stressing that such would amount to the CBN meddling in the internal credit administration processes and procedures of banks.
According to the apex bank, "For the avoidance of doubt, banks and Other Financial Institutions (OFIs) are at liberty to grant credit facilities to any individual and/or a corporate entity in line with the institution's Credit Policy and in consonance with extant rules and regulations."
In a circular to banks and financial institutions signed by the Director, Banking Supervision, Mr. Samuel Oni, which was earlier sent to banks, the CBN pointed out that "In its effort to provide a platform for financial institutions to strengthen their credit appraisal procedures with a view to enhancing credit quality and responsive credit behaviour in the nation's financial system, the CBN recently licensed three private credit bureaux to provide credit history on borrowers.
"Following the release of the Guidelines on Licensing, Operations and Regulations of Credit Bureau issued by CBN in October 2008, it has become imperative to issue this circular directing bank and other financial institutions to partner with the licensed credit bureaux in order to enhance the performance of their operations."
Consequently, the apex bank said it was now mandatory for banks and other financial institutions under the purview of the CBN to comply with sections 5.4.3 and 5.4.5 of the Guidelines on Licensing, Operations and Regulations of Credit Bureaus in Nigeria as follows: Have data exchange agreement with at least two credit bureaus; obtain credit report from at least two credit bureaus before granting any facility to their customers; and obtain quarterly credit report from at least two credit bureaus for all previous loans/facilities granted to enable the determination of the borrowers current exposure to the financial system, adding that banks and other financial institutions were advised to comply with this circular with immediate effect as failure to do so would attract appropriate sanctions.
Meanwhile, supporters of President Goodluck Jonathan have set machinery in motion to ensure his entry into the 2011 presidential contest ahead of the next national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Till now, the president had not formally indicated his interest in the 2011 presidential election, just as some people have advised him not to run.
Indications that more forces are rooting for Jonathan emerged at the weekend, with a series of meetings holding in Abuja, Kaduna and Asaba, Delta State, by Jonathan's supporters who attempted to preview the 2011 elections with the possibility of drafting him into the presidential race.
Two of such meetings which took place at Sheraton and Bolingo hotels, the Nigerian Tribune learnt, considered all options available to Jonathan on the 2011 polls, with a resolve to conduct an independent survey to ascertain the level of his acceptability across the geo-political zones of the federation.
A senator was said to be coordinating the Kaduna caucus, most of who were said to be working on the PDP structures to make them to accommodate the desire of Jonathan to contest the presidential election.
A member of the caucus, Mallam Umar Farouk, told the Nigerian Tribune that Jonathan might not have much trouble in convincing the North about wanting to win a full four-year term, as the people from the region were already familiar with him.
He said the recent remarks by some Northern elite urging Jonathan to contest were a reflection of grass roots politicians from the region, who believe that Jonathan could make them feel more of government presence which they lacked when the late President Umaru Yar'Adua was in the saddle.
Also, Jonathan's supporters in Delta State had been perfecting strategies on how to raise the ante for his interest in the next presidential election, having mapped out a series of sensitisation events for the purpose.
The group, known as Goodluck Jonathan Support Group, had scheduled a book launch as the first in the series of events planned to prepare the ground for the president to enter the contest and had also planned a rally to be held in Asaba and Port Harcourt for same purpose before the end of July.
The national coordinator of the group, Honour-able Aneke Ifemeni, told the Nigerian Tribune that members of his group had written a book comprising 101 reasons they felt should propel Jonathan to contest in 2011.
Aneke said the group had supported the late President Yar'Adua for second term, adding that his death did not mean governance had changed.
He said since he had paired with Jonathan for his presidency, it would be incumbent on Nigerians to allow the administration to remain in order to continue with the programmes it had inaugurated for the sustenance of rule of law and democracy in the country.
"Government is a continuum and our belief is that if Jonathan who started the programme with Yar'Adua is allowed to remain in power, he would have the right frame of mind to pilot government's affairs in line with the goals set by the late Yar'Adua," he said.
However, plots by some aspirants and their supporters for the post of the national chairman of the PDP notwithstanding, President Jonathan is said to have kept all stakeholders guessing on his clear direction on the decision.
It was gathered in Abuja, at the weekend, that the president had refused to open up to any of the contending groups on the matter.
A number of projections are coming up in the process of the emergence of the new PDP chairman.
While the South-East believed that it should be allowed to produce a replacement for Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, some forces were already angling for the emergence of the new chairman from the North, in line with the reversed zoning arrangement.
The belief in the South-East was that whoever was appointed would complete Ogbulafor's tenure, which should lapse in 2012, but a fresh thinking was indicating that the new chairman should still emerge on the basis of the existing zoning arrangement, which would see the post retained in the South-East.
Sources in the administration said President Jonathan had not opened up to any of the contending forces on the choice of the new chairman.
While some sources said the president was behind the push to install the former national secretary of the party, Chief Benard Eze, as the new chairman, others indicated that the president's camp was in favour of Chief Okwe-zelezie Nwodo.
Other sources close to the government said Jonathan was considering the Senior Special Assistant on Political Affairs, Senator Polycarp Nwite, as a way of pacifying the camp the late President Yar'Adua.
Nwite was the Nigerian Ambassador to Botswana before he was recalled by Yar'Adua and appointed political adviser.
He is regarded as one of the core supporters of the late General Shehu Musa Yar'Adua, founder of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM).
It was gathered that the intervention of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in the selection process had not forced Jonathan to change
his posture and the president had not confirmed a particular choice to any of the stakeholders.
"The president is bidding his time on the choice of the national chairman of the PDP. He wants the best for the party and I won't be surprised if any of those so-called frontline candidates loses out," a source said.
Chief Obasanjo was said to be backing a former Nigerian Ambassador to Togo, Ambassador Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi, for the top job, while some people had also linked him with the support for the former national vice chairman of the party in the South-East, Chief Nze Ozichukwu Chukwu.
The PDP Governors' Forum and some members of the PDP Reform Group were said to be backing the former Senate President, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, while other forces were said to be queuing behind the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, General Ike Nwachukwu.
But a source said of Jonathan's thinking: "the president is keeping issues around the new chairman close to his chest. So far, we can say that he has kept the stakeholders guessing. He wants all the segments of the party to come up with suggestions before he gives the final nod."
Meanwhile, the National Interest Group (NIG) in the Senate is set to contribute a voice to the ongoing debate on the choice of the new PDP chairman.
It was gathered that the group had scheduled a meeting for Tuesday in Abuja to finalise talks on the preferred choice of candidate for the PDP top job.
The group, which spearheaded the confirmation of Jonathan as acting president in February, had continue to bond together since its formation in January. The NIG is closely working with the House of Representatives version, the Nigeria First Forum (NFF).
Sources said the two groups were working towards presenting a common candidate for the post of the national chairman of the party.
