AMCON’s Intervention Saved Over 15,000 Jobs- Kuru

AMCON’s Intervention Saved Over 15,000 Jobs- Kuru

Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) said that its intervention across sectors assisted to maintain economic stability and saved over 15,000 jobs.

Disclosing this at the July Breakfast meeting of the Nigerian American Chamber of Commerce (NACC) with the theme: “Financial System Stability in Nigeria: AMCON’s Role and Scorecard”, the Managing Director, AMCON, Mr. Ahmed Kuru, said AMCON was set up by the Federal Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to bail out banks by purchasing their non-performing loans and recovering loans from debtors.

He added that the global financial crisis of 2008 made the Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) in the financial system to rise to about N2.6 trillion, while the national budget was less than N1 trillion.

“The banks that were insolvent accounted for almost 80 per cent of the total NPL in the industry at that time. The ratio of the NPL to the total loan was more than 60 per cent and the regulatory threshold is supposed to be five per cent because most banks were not able to borrow and with no liquidity to support their operations.

The direct impact of AMCON’s action led to the protection of about N3.66 trillion of depositors’ funds and approximately 15,000 jobs were saved,” he said

According to him, the corporation’s total debt obligation to the CBN currently stood at N5.5 trillion, adding that, AMCON had only been able to recover N1 trillion from its obligors.

“Only 350 obligors out of the 12,000 obligors account for more than 80 per cent of the N5.5 trillion debt. Many of the obligors, who are supposed to be role models, have become recalcitrant and failed to meet up with their financial responsibilities,” he stated.