– As D.O Nwachukwu industries promise to refund the defrauded members
By Anselem Anokwute
The Special Assistant to the Governor of Imo state on Anchor Borrowers programme, Dr Edwin Uche has denied any knowledge or involvement in the issues associated with extortion or collection of any money from the members of D.O. Nwachukwu Industries multipurpose Farmers Co-operative Society Orlu Council, Imo state.
Speaking to newsmen, on the incident, Dr. Uche disclosed that the Anchor Borrowers programme is a partnership and intervention agent with Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other donor agencies to assist farmers on inputs and soft loan procurements.
According to him, Anchor Borrowers office is not in the habit of demanding any money but rather plays an advisory role to ensure that the programme and policies meant to assist farmers are realized. He maintained that farmers are advised to register with the commodity association and to be in a cluster of 10 or 20 members per co-operative group and that each member of the group is equally advised to open an account where the loan can be sorted for while the (10%) ten percent loan is also expected to be in the persons account in the bank. He stated that any one paying such to another person does same at his own peril.
Dr. Uche stated that he never told Chief Damian Nwachukwu to use such an avenue to receive any cash from the members and promised to investigate more on the outcome of the fraudulent activities associated with D.O. Nwachukwu industries multipurpose farmers’ co-operative society, Orlu.
Earlier in his response, Chief Damian Nwachukwu, who is the Chief Executive Officer of D.O Nwachukwu Industries Ltd Orlu, blamed his erstwhile manager, Mr. Chijioke Ogwe of the alleged fraudulent activities and stated that the matter has been reported to the Orlu Divisional Police Area Command. Chief Nwachukwu who also regretted that his name has been messed up by the young man whom he employed to make the job hopefully easier but the reverse has remained the case. He promised not to disappoint the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as farm award winner in farm produce and Chairman Imo State Palm Oil Production Association.
Chief Nwachukwu also disclosed that some of the Zenith Bank tellers alleged to have been used by one of the organization’s staff to pay money into the runaway manager’s account is under police investigation.
Speaking, the co-ordinator of the programme for Okwuabali, Ihioma ward, Hon. Daniel Ozuo who expressed disbelief over the whole story maintained that the defrauded farmers from his ward are more than fifty persons and over (N600,000) six hundred thousand naira, is involved.
Hon. Ozuo also envisaged that the issue of D.O Nwachukwu industries fraudulent activities has caused him sleepless nights and called on him to refund the poor farmers their hard earned money.
It will be recalled that Dr. Edwin Uche had raised the hopes of Imo farmers when he claimed that as a former employee of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) he has the magic wand to attract the credit facilities. Several months after the farmers were lured into the trap to register and form cooperative societies, Dr. Uche came up with the idea of Bank account opening. However long after many applicants complied with this condition a syndicate was brought to defraud them by demanding several sums of money.
