Business owners under the aegis of Kwara State Coalition of Business and Professional Associations (KWACOBPA) have urged the government to set aside one per cent of its annual budget to support entrepreneurs.

They said they have sent a bill to that effect to the House of Assembly.

The coalition enjoined the government to set up a committee, whose members would be drawn from the private sector, to manage the fund.

The Chairman of the coalition, Chief Hezekiah Adediji, who spoke yesterday in Ilorin at the presentation of policy briefs on business agenda to private sector stakeholders, advised the government to use the one per cent as a revolving loan for every business owner, devoid of any political colouration.

He recommended an interest rate of five per cent.

Adediji advised the government to access its N2 billion from the N220 billion the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) set aside for micro small and medium enterprises fund.