By Olawale Lamina
The Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara has announced the dissolution of the Board of the Rivers State Microfinance Agency and the immediate appointment of Pastor Jonathan Tobin, who previously served as chairman of the Microfinance Agency from October 2023, to continue in acting capacity as Managing Director of the Agency.
This was contained in the Government Special Announcement on Friday.
Consequently, members of the defunct Board have been mandated to hand over all properties and assets of the Board in their possession to the newly appointed Acting Managing Director of the Agency.
Pst. Tobin had been overseeing the ₦4 billion loan facility introduced by the administration to support small and medium-scale businesses across the state.
With his reappointment, Tobin is expected to continue the supervision of the loan programme.
According to the statement signed by Dr. Mrs. Inyingi S. I. Brown, the Rivers State Head of Service, Governor Fubara GSSRS, will in due course reconstitute the Board.
Profile:
Pastor Jonathan Tobin has consummate 32 years experience in Agriculture Value Chain and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Financing.
He was seconded by the management of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN, where he retired) to the Bank of Industry (BOI) as Executive Director Cooperate Services where he supervised the Four (4) subsidiaries of the Bank.
He started his working career in 1989 when he joined the Development Finance Department of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
By dint of hard work and commitment, he rose through the ranks to the position of Deputy Director. Prior to joining the Bank of Industry, he managed the CBN Two Hundred and Twenty Billion Naira Micro Small and Medium Enterprises Development Office and was the Pioneer Project Manager of the Multi Billion Naira CBN, Anchor Borrower’s Rice Project involving about Seventy Thousand (70,000) Small Holder Farmers in Kebbi State.
Pastor Jonathan Tobin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics and Extension. He also trained in Project Management fast track from the Boston University, USA.
He has also attended senior management programmes with the Kellogg Business School Chicago, Colombia Business School New York, Galilee Business School Israel, amongst others.
He is a Senior Honorary Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, member of Nigeria Institute of Directors, Fellow–Nigeria Institute of Credit Administration.
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