Empowerment programme not national cake to be shared

Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa has warned that the state’s empowerment programme was meant to eradicate poverty and was not a bonus or national cake to be shared.

Fintiri stated this at the inauguration and sensitisation of beneficiaries of the Adamawa state Social Support Programme on Tuesday, in Yola.

According to the governor, the programme was designed to boost the livelihoods and businesses of the less privileged in the state.

He noted that the Social Support Programme was a strategic “bottoms up” approach of his administration to eradicate poverty and hunger across the state.

“Today, each of the 10,520 beneficiaries will automatically become self-reliant and self-supporting, thereby, lifting a sizeable proportion of our people out of poverty.

“To the beneficiaries, do not make the mistake of considering this empowerment as your share of the so-called national cake, but as an opportunity to be responsible citizens that Adamawa state will be proud of.

“I urged you to utilise these funds to boost your livelihoods and businesses for better income’ Fintiri said.

The governor announced that by October, he would inaugurate a two-year programme called NG-CARES, as part of the COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus, whereby 1,950 youths would be engaged in public works.

“Some 42,000 poor and vulnerable households will benefit from community micro projects, while 6,964 farmers will be provided with farm inputs and implements.

“Another 60 wet markets will be upgraded so that over 80,000 individuals will benefit from the market, while 1,073 micro and small businesses will be supported with information technology equipment for digital entrepreneurship,” the governor added.

In his address, Mr Yayaji Mijinyawa, Commissioner for local government affairs, said that the ministry and the state’s 21 local government councils would carry out sensitisation to all beneficiaries.

“We are going to sensitise the beneficiaries across the state to judiciously use the empowerment to establish themselves in businesses, as well as build their entrepreneurial capacity for sustainable community development while tackling the menace of unemployment”. Mijinyawa said.

Hajia Aisha Bawa, Coordinator of the programme, said that the beneficiaries would receive training in various skills, in addition to a token gift to support them while attending the training. (NAN)