No fewer than 300 people were empowered by the Chairman of Ikeja Local Government Area of Lagos, Mr Mojeed Balogun.
Some of the beneficiaries shed tears while receiving the items.
The items and instruments distributed, Balogun said, were to encourage small medium enterprise and reduce poverty in the area.
Balogun said the gesture was part of his campaign promises.
He said: “Poverty is generally seen as incapacity to have access to the basic things of life such as food, shelter, clothing, potable water, good education and affordable health care.
“As a progressives party, whose cardinal objectives include poverty alleviation, we have been regularly giving social welfare packages to our indigent people, including a regular monthly financial assistance to community members.”
“Somebody said, ‘I have a challenge, I am a Vulcaniser and I need money from you’. But giving him money will not solve his problem, so, we decided to get him the equipment, let him start that business to solve his family problem. We are ever committed than before to deliver dividend of democracy to our people.”
Balogun said leaders of Community Development Committee (CDC) have been saddled with the task of monitoring the beneficiaries to ensure they do not misuse the items.
”My advice to the beneficiaries is to make judicious use of what they have been given because not everyone that requested for assistance were lucky to get something. Let them make use of what they have gotten today. In total, we have over 300 beneficiaries and everybody is being handed over to the CDC because the list was submitted through that medium, the people they felt should be given. So the CDC will complement that for us by ensuring that it is put to better use,” he said.
The Regent to the stool of Olu of Ikeja, Prince Isiaka Adekunle described the empowerment project as “laudable.”
“I give kudos to the council Chairman for this program. This programme will not only reduce poverty, it will also create employment opportunities for the people of Ikeja. My advice to the beneficiaries is to make judicious use of the equipment and the goods presented to them. They should not to sell it,” he said.
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