167,000 for BVN enrollment in Gombe
Chima Azubuike, Gombe
No fewer than 167,000, rural people will be included in banking operations in Gombe.
Speaking at a North East Advocacy on Financial Inclusion and mass BVN enrollment with newsmen, chairman of Rural Trust Fund for Economic Inclusion, Joel Aku, said the campaign is geared towards registering unbanked beneficiaries in the state, adding that years of insurgency in the region has robbed it of inclusion in banking.
“The North East has continued to be one of the least banked regions in the country. In a recent released report by the Central Bank of Nigeria on the state of financial inclusion in Nigeria, it is estimated that less than 30% of adult population in North East have access to basic financial services compared to a national average of 37%. Challenging geography and decades of insurgency all contributed to financial literacy crisis and a lack of financial inclusion in the region, which constitutes almost a third of the Nigeria’s population.
“The drive for financial inclusion in the North East therefore, aims to ensure that all individuals and households regardless of income level can access and effectively use appropriate financial services and products to improve to improve living standards,” he said.
According to Aku, the initiative is made possible through the intervention of Sen. Uba Sani, chairman senate committee on banking, insurance and other financial institutions with support of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
He said, “it is the desire of the Nigerian senate to ensure inclusive finance and well regulated financial environment where adult population in the North East have access to, and can effectively use, a broad portfolio of financial services that are provided at affordable cost.”
He added that this initiative intends to give low income households economic prosperity.
He said, “Access to financial services can make a critical contribution to reducing poverty and addressing inequality. There is growing evidence from advanced financial jurisdictions that when more people have access to services such as secure affordable savings, lower cost remittances and appropriate forms of microcredits, it can contribute to more inclusive growth and help foster resource mobilization and reduce vulnerability.”
