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FG Rolls Out Interest-free Loans to Support Small Businesses and Farmers
Nigerians running small businesses and farms have been handed fresh relief as the Federal Government announced a new round of interest-free loans under the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP). The scheme is designed to give small traders, women in business, and farmers the financial support they need without the usual stress of collateral or high interest.
According to officials, beneficiaries will be able to access loans ranging from as little as ₦5,000 to as much as ₦100,000, depending on their line of work. The loans come with a six-month grace period before repayment starts, giving recipients time to put the money to work and make returns before paying back.
The initiative is broken down into three categories: TraderMoni for young and small petty traders, MarketMoni for women entrepreneurs and market women, and FarmerMoni which will support those in farming, poultry, livestock and aquaculture. The first phase of this rollout will focus on smallholder farmers before extending to other groups.
For many Nigerians, especially those at the bottom of the economic ladder, accessing bank loans has always been a struggle because of strict requirements and high interest rates. This programme takes away that barrier by offering loans with no collateral and no interest. By doing so, the government hopes to lift millions into financial stability and help them grow sustainable businesses.
The government says the programme will be closely monitored to avoid abuse. Traders’ associations, local cooperatives, and community desk officers will play a key role in identifying real beneficiaries across the 774 local government areas.
TV anchor Rufai Oseni makes headlines as he speaks on fuel subsidy in Nigeria. He shared that Nigeria can have fuel subsidy without the long queues at filling stations.
“When we were still paying subsidies, there were no long queues. We were subsidising. So you can still have a subsidy regime going on, and there will be no long queues because production was close by. Dangote had it. That’s just it. That argument also falls flat.
“The biggest beneficiaries of subsidy are not Nigerians. They are crony capitalists that have big infrastructure, and they do contracts. They have been the biggest beneficiaries of the subsidy,” he said.
Lagos State Governor, Sanwo-Olu, speaks to those in the electricity sector about the usual blackouts in the state.
He speaks on ways things can change in the state and how electricity can be provided.
“We need to drop corporate egos, abandon long-standing excuses, and confront the harsh realities obstructing progress in the power sector.”
“We, state governments, used to give excuses that everything is centralised, so the Federal Government has unbundled it now. What have we done in a year and a half?” Sanwo-Olu asked.
“We take two steps forward, we go five steps backward,” he said.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has declared Thursday, August 20, a work-free day for public servants in the state to mark the Isese Festival.
Speaking on the celebration, he said “Ìṣẹ̀ṣe is not a relic. It is a living expression of our traditions and a celebration of Yoruba spirituality as an important part of Nigeria’s cultural and religious landscape,” he said.
He added “When the drums sound in Lagos on Thursday, they answer drums in Havana, in Salvador, in Port of Spain. Fifty-five million people and counting. Lagos is not observing a local holiday. Lagos is standing at the centre of a global heritage,” Aregbe said.
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