The Federal Government is  working out modalities that will make the Nigerian Agricultural Cooperative Rural Development Bank (NACRDB) to operate fully as a commercial bank. Mallam Muhammed Immam-Yahaya, Chairman of the study group on NARCDB, who made this known on Sunday in Abuja, said the measure was expected to make the bank to respond to emerging challenges.
He told journalists that the exercise became imperative to make NACRDB render quality services to large and small-scale farmers and at the same time be self-sustaining. ‘’we want to make it a bank that will compete favorably with other commercial banks in the country,’’ he said.
Immam-Yahaya said to achieve this, government had made a request for an undisclosed amount from the World Bank as loan, adding that it had also intensified efforts to retrieve unpaid loans from some state governments and individuals.
 He said the study group was assessing the performance of the bank, especially the problems affecting its performance such as under funding, bad management and what, he called, structural defects.
He also said that the group would also analyse the problems facing the bank and offer suggestions that would reposition it to adequately handle the challenges of modern-day credit financing. “We want to correct the notion that what the bank has given out is government money and national cake; therefore, if you borrow from the bank, it is not compulsory to pay back.  “Amember for loan recovery will be in place so that it can recover its loans while being farmer-friendly at the same time,’’ he said.
Also speaking Chief Gordon Bozimo, Chairman of NACRDB,, said the bank required N55 billion to respond to the challenges of agriculture-financing in the 21st century.
He said the board would support the government in its effort to secure funds for the bank from the World Bank, adding that with the facility, the bank would charge commercial interest rates to commercial farm groups. Bozimo noted that some state governments and individuals owed the bank money running into billions of Naira, adding that this had made the bank not to function effectively.
He said the board of directors of the bank would make a case to President Yar’Adua to intervene in the matter.
Meanwhile, the successful merger of the People’s Bank of Nigeria (PBN) the defunct Nigerian Agricultural and Co-operative Bank (NACB) gave birth to NACRDB. Additionally, the risk assets of the Family Economic Advancement programme (FEAP) were also made part of the assets of NACRDB.

Coca cola re-launches 5Alive

5Alive, the premium juice brand from the stable of The Coca-Cola Company, is back in the market with new Tetra prisma packaging. While retaining the brand’s four unique and popular flavour blends (Citrus Burst, Berry Blast, Apple Splash and Tropical Hit), the new 5Alive packs come in two slim and sleek sizes of 1litre and 25cl with screw caps to enhance grip and pour. The colourful pack design for each of the flavours reflects great creativity and is sure to wow consumers and further strengthen their preference for the brand.
Mrs Rosemary Akpo, marketing manager, still beverages, speaking during the unveiling ceremony in Lagos last week, described 5Alive as a leading international premium juice brand and the established leader in Nigeria not only on market share but also on Favourable Brand Rating and Aided Brand Awareness. “As a responsive brand, 5Alive continuously re-invents itself to lead and set standards in the juice category. This is why we are having this re-launch less than two years after the brand was last repackaged”, she explained.
Akpo attributed 5Alive’s consistent leadership over the years to the intrinsic quality of the brand, the unique blend of five fruits in each variant and the unwavering trust which The Coca-Cola Company has earned among consumers globally. She thanked dealers and consumers alike for their patronage and, in particular, for their concern and understanding over the last eight months when they had to contend with severe shortage of the brand, following the destruction of the production plant in a December 2008 inferno.  “That crisis was the acid test of 5Alive’s strength as a product and a brand. It is hard to think of any other consumer goods brand that could be absent from the market for so long and still retain top ratings in the minds of consumers. Fortunately, with the rebuilding of the plant, we can now guarantee adequate supply of 5Alive across Nigeria, in the best available packs and at the same affordable prices”, she concluded.
Mr. Roland Ebelt, managing director, Nigerian Bottling Company, emphasised 5Alive’s significance for the fruit juice industry in Nigeria. “Commencement of local production of 5Alive in 2003 using world class quality standards raised the benchmark for Nigerian made juices; and resulted in the desirable situation where imported juice brands have now almost been eliminated”, he noted.