By Okidi Patrick/ NORTHERN UGANDA CORRESPONDENT.
LIRA: section of Lango highly recognized leaders who attended a two days meeting organised by Bank of Uganda in Margarita Palace Hotel last week have voiced continuous concern over currency centre.
“You can dodge all other things but build a currency centre in Lira” Said Lira City Mayor Atul.
In a heated discussion and reactions,backed by some of the leaders in Lango sub-region they have again expressed their concern about Bank of Uganda to be kind and build a currency centre as in Lira.
According to the Mayor Lira City Sam Atul,”the truth is that the key thing that Bank of Uganda are going to go back with is that a currency centre must be built in Lira”.
Atul told the deputy governor Bank of Uganda, Michael Atingi Ego that they can dodge all other things as of now but the clear message for now for the people of Lango is” let’s pronounce ourselves on the issue of currency centre.
Atul also want the government to support and harvest in microfinance also if Lango sub- region is to develop.
Mayor Sam Atul blamed most of the commercial banks for high interest rates offered to their clients when it comes to loan repayment and other transactions made by the clients.
He said government should stop borrowing from within the economy because commercial banks find it so safe to lend money to government than to the respective individual.
Mayor Sam Atul said sincerely most Commercial banks do not even award certificates to their clients after a successful loan repaymentand completion made to zeronby their clients.
“Nothing! Even us leaders we are not considered,you are just an ordinary citizen ,nothing”Atul expressed.
According to him ,there is no trust in commercial banks.
Mayor however disclosed that people are tired of the common idea of sign here !! sign here!!sign there!! which is very hectic in most of the commercial banking institutions in Lira.
MP Johnathan Odur of Erute South constituency,Lira district , noted that as a legislator, he knows that Bank of Uganda has been providing very accurate statistics interm of information.
But he expressed that” As a region when you give us a commitment,more so as an institution of Bank of Uganda, we do not easily forget,l would like you the Deputy Governor to follow it up unless it was a political commitment but we request you to build a currency centre in Lira”Asked MP Odur.
The Lira district LCV chairman Mr RCM Okello Orik said”And therefore I always see your bank bringing money from Gulu and other areas to Lira and it would not be good for you to keep on doing that when we have available land to construct your currency centre here in Lira City”.
The Lira district Chairman hon Okello Orik added that, it is important to note that Lira is a powerful business centre/hub and he asked the Deputy Bank of governor to consider their request.
He added his voice that the deputy bank of Uganda governor Michael Ego should really consider the promise made by his predecessor the late Mutebile ( RIP).
However, in his response to the media in an exclusive interview on Friday last week about the issues of the ACF loan and currency centre demand, the Deputy governor Bank of Uganda Michael Ego said they did an analysis of beneficiaries region by region whereby in an analysis of Agricultural Credit Facility (ACF) Northern Uganda account for only 4 percent.
He said all the genuing issue raised was of a good dialogue and said they are are going to forward it to be handled by top management adding that the issue about currency centre shall be reviewed.
The director chamber of commerce for Northern and Eastern Uganda,Mr Bosco Ogwang Edola told the Deputy governor Bank of Uganda that, ‘Lira city is among the top most revenue generating Cities in Uganda’.
Almost all the crowd who were gathered in the Hall wanted to hear the acceptance of Bank of Uganda to build a currency centre in Lira, noted Edola.
Edola added that the bank of Uganda Deputy governor better think about what the former governor Mutebile (RIP) told the people of Lira some years back about the establishment of a currency centre in Lira.
“We don’t know our fate,if you tell us you are going to review,that mean we are going to be taken back “Bosco Ogwang Edola wondered.
The issue of currency centre remains the biggest question that the business community and the entire Lango sub-region residents want it answered in a more practical way than words.