The Nation Newspaper

Tag: empowerment

  • Artisans seek constant power supply and empowerment 

    The National Association of Tailors (NUT) in Lagos State has appealed to the Governor-elect, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to ensure constant power supply and empower them with funds.

    The Chairlady, Mrs. Oluwaseyi Dada, spoke at the union’s meeting at the Iyana Meiran Branch, Agbado Oke-Odo Local Council Development Authority.

    “We want the Governor-elect, Babajide Sanwoolu, to ensure there is constant power supply and he should empower us with finance,” she said.

    According to Dada, members need constant power supply to meet up with deadlines. “Power failure is a major hindrance, and we want him to prioritise this in his agenda,” she added.

    The Onimeiran of Meiran Kingdom, Dr. Samuel Awoyemi, assured the tailors that the incoming governor will consider their plight and they will reap more dividends of democracy.

    “We are glad that you voted for all APC candidates, and I assure you that you will all reap the dividends of democracy.”

    Supervisor for Agric, Rural and Social Services, Agbado-Oke Odo council, Viola Koyi (JP) said: “The union is making waves even beyond the shores of Nigeria because of the peaceful coexistence among you. I enjoin you to cooperate with the incoming governor.”

  • Entrepreneur seeks empowerment in Niger Delta

    An entrepreneur in the oil and gas sector, Mr Keniebi Okoko, has urged the government to empower the Niger Delta people.

    He identified poor mental disposition of many people in a state like Bayelsa as the cause of poverty in the midst of plenty.

    Okoko, who spoke in Yenagoa, said poverty of the mind is worse than material poverty.

    He said it was ironical that while the state is endowed with abundant natural resources, the people have not been exposed to the right kind of education to develop their mental abilities.

    “Well, I believe that Bayelsa as a whole needs to focus on education. Mental poverty is worse than financial poverty. If a mind is not developed and equipped, a man cannot give what he does not have.

    “Our people are not completely exposed to good education systems. Our people are not well travelled like other tribes, if you look at our rich natural endowments, you wonder why we cannot harness and turn them to wealth.

    “If you look at Singapore, it is an Island with no oil deposit, but it has oil refineries. Our state, Bayelsa, is larger than Singapore and we have so much oil and gas deposits and other minerals, yet development seems to have eluded us because we lack the right mentality, we need to think right.

    “The Ijaw man is determined to succeed. If you give the Ijaw man the right playing ground, he will perform, I can assure you. So, I believe that what we should do as a people is to focus on education,” Okoko said.

    He, however, said the emphasis on education should not be restricted to classroom education, but should include skill acquisition for the less privileged, who might not be able to afford university education.

    “Creating skill acquisitions with the right personnel to man them, gives you the opportunity to train the less privileged on the skills that can develop them,” he said.

    He commended the Seriake Dickson-led government in Bayelsa for the investment it has made in the education sector and called for more of such efforts in the sector.

    “I think the governor has given it a good try. I think that the intentions are good. I believe that he has genuine intentions for the job, and I believe he has tried his best.

    “My duty as a leader is to try and add to what he has done; to build in any way we can help the government to improve where they have stopped in any capacity we find ourselves with good suggestions,” Okoko said.

     

     

  • Monarch seeks empowerment of cocoa farmers

    The Oloni of Eti-Oni, Oba Dokun Thompson, has made a strong case for the economic empowerment of farmers in the cocoa industry.

    Speaking during a forum of food and agric writers in Lagos, the Monarch said cocoa was a key export commodity central to the realisation of the Federal Government’s targets towards sustainable development.

    He said improving the lives of stakeholders working in cocoa production ultimately will have a positive impact on the industry.

    He said cocoa farmers lacked access to financial capital, land and labour, apart from not getting insurance for their farms, which at times suffered from droughts or bush fire.

    Recent flooding on cocoa plantations, according to him, killed off flowers and small pods, and prevented farmers from working on their farms.

    He explained that heavy rains that poured on the farms made streams to overflow and flowers and pods in their early stages of growth got destroyed.

    He said: “The flood is affecting everybody, particularly this year; even in Eti-Oni, it affected farms. We are in the rain forest so, definitely heavy rain will always affect us.”

    He urged financial institutions to tailor their products and services to meet the particular needs of farmers, stressing the need for multi-stakeholder collaboration to upscale the sharing of proven best practices in sustainable cocoa production among smallholder rice farmers.

    On Eti-Oni, Oba Thompson, said  was home to Nigeria’s oldest Cocoa plantation and the birthplace of the crop in the Southwest. “The Cocoa crop was introduced into Eti-Oni in 1896 by Gureje-Thompson and it was from here that Cocoa spread to neighbouring towns and other parts of the region where it later became the economic mainstay of Western Nigeria.

    He also announced that this year’s Eti-Oni cocoa festival is scheduled for between December 2 and 9 at Gureje Square, Eti-Oni, Osun State.

    The cocoa festival, according to him, is an initiative of the Eti-Oni Development Group with an objective to create a renaissance in the industry and build bridges between production and consumption to achieve sustainability. The other goal, he said, is to transform the rural community of Eti-Oni into a sustainable model smart town in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN 2030 SDGs) through cocoa trade.

    The cocoa festival, he explained, will attract local and international exhibitors, who will showcase primary and secondary products. It will also feature awards. The awards will be given to individuals, corporate organisations or government agencies or programmes in recognition of outstanding contribution to cocoa development.

    The award categories  will include:    value chain development – policy formulation and execution;    cocoa sustainability advocacy;    environmentally friendly practices;    development of women in cocoa;    commercial bank and cocoa promotion;   cocoa renaissance in Nigeria;  life-time personal contribution to cocoa development in Nigeria; social impact initiatives -(individual or corporate organisation), ingenious research development in cocoa; creative farmers training model; innovative agriculture development programme; TV broadcast coverage on cocoa; news print/online coverage on cocoa; ICT company and cocoa development and sustainable tourism.

     

     

     

     

  • 75 get N5.3m for empowerment

    No fewer than 75 people received N5.3 million cash and materials for empowerment, The Companion, an association of Muslim men in business and professions, President Alhaji Wale Sonaike has said.

    The disbursement was meant to redistribute wealth from the rich to the poor.

    At the Lagos House of Assembly Mosque Hall, Ikeja, where the seventh edition of The Companion Zakat and Sadaqah Fund Distribution was held, Sonaike expressed happiness that the number of contributors this year is higher than the previous years.

    He said: “We have also been able to increase the number of beneficiaries as well even though it is less than 50 per cent of the applications we received. This clearly shows that we still have a very long way to go.  The amount of money we were able to collect this year is about N5.3 million and this is a far cry from the Zakat and Sadaqah Fund available in the Lagos economy. We observe with satisfaction that a number of Muslim organisations are also involved in Zakat collection and distribution, but all put together is still below the capacity of the economy.”

    He thanked those “entrusting us with their contribution to the fund. I wish to call on numerous qualified Muslims to hasten to the call of Allah and fulfil this important obligation. It is common knowledge that payment of zakat is the least observed among the five pillars of Islam because a vast majority of Muslims, who are supposed to deduct and pay Zakat from their wealth have not paid sufficient attention to this obligation. Zakat is a compulsory act of worship meant not only to purify and increase their wealth but also to earn them a great reward from Allah both in this world and the hereafter. If left unpaid it will also be a source of punishment from Allah both in this world and the hereafter.”

    The beneficiaries, he said, are in different categories including education support, medical treatment and accommodation.

    “Others will receive cash and business equipment to start, support or expand their businesses in the micro and small scale level,” he said.

    Sonaike urged the beneficiaries to ensure a prudent management of the fund/equipment they receive and pray Allah to banish poverty.

    The Secretary of The Companion Zakat Fund Committee, Alhaji Abdul Kabir Olayiwola Baruwa said equipment distributed include sewing, industrial and grinding machines and freezers.

    Baruwa said the beneficiaries were selected using the criteria stipulated in the Quran.

    “The selection process is transparent and lot of due diligence was put in place to ensure the Zakat proceed goes to the indigents,” he said.

  • 75 get N5.3m for empowerment

    No fewer than 75 people received N5.3 million cash and materials for empowerment, The Companion, an association of Muslim men in business and professions, President Alhaji Wale Sonaike has said.

    The disbursement was meant to redistribute wealth from the rich to the poor.

    At the Lagos House of Assembly Mosque Hall, Ikeja, where the seventh edition of The Companion Zakat and Sadaqah Fund Distribution was held, Sonaike expressed happiness that the number of contributors this year is higher than the previous years.

    He said: “We have also been able to increase the number of beneficiaries as well even though it is less than 50 per cent of the applications we received. This clearly shows that we still have a very long way to go.  The amount of money we were able to collect this year is about N5.3 million and this is a far cry from the Zakat and Sadaqah Fund available in the Lagos economy. We observe with satisfaction that a number of Muslim organisations are also involved in Zakat collection and distribution, but all put together is still below the capacity of the economy.”

    He thanked those “entrusting us with their contribution to the fund. I wish to call on numerous qualified Muslims to hasten to the call of Allah and fulfil this important obligation. It is common knowledge that payment of zakat is the least observed among the five pillars of Islam because a vast majority of Muslims, who are supposed to deduct and pay Zakat from their wealth have not paid sufficient attention to this obligation. Zakat is a compulsory act of worship meant not only to purify and increase their wealth but also to earn them a great reward from Allah both in this world and the hereafter. If left unpaid it will also be a source of punishment from Allah both in this world and the hereafter.”

    The beneficiaries, he said, are in different categories including education support, medical treatment and accommodation.

    “Others will receive cash and business equipment to start, support or expand their businesses in the micro and small scale level,” he said.

    Sonaike urged the beneficiaries to ensure a prudent management of the fund/equipment they receive and pray Allah to banish poverty.

    The Secretary of The Companion Zakat Fund Committee, Alhaji Abdul Kabir Olayiwola Baruwa said equipment distributed include sewing, industrial and grinding machines and freezers.

    Baruwa said the beneficiaries were selected using the criteria stipulated in the Quran.

    “The selection process is transparent and lot of due diligence was put in place to ensure the Zakat proceed goes to the indigents,” he said.

  • 75 get N5.3m for empowerment

    No fewer than 75 people received N5.3 million cash and materials for empowerment, The Companion, an association of Muslim men in business and professions, President Alhaji Wale Sonaike has said.

    The disbursement was meant to redistribute wealth from the rich to the poor.

    At the Lagos House of Assembly Mosque Hall, Ikeja, where the seventh edition of The Companion Zakat and Sadaqah Fund Distribution was held, Sonaike expressed happiness that the number of contributors this year is higher than the previous years.

    He said: “We have also been able to increase the number of beneficiaries as well even though it is less than 50 per cent of the applications we received. This clearly shows that we still have a very long way to go.  The amount of money we were able to collect this year is about N5.3 million and this is a far cry from the Zakat and Sadaqah Fund available in the Lagos economy. We observe with satisfaction that a number of Muslim organisations are also involved in Zakat collection and distribution, but all put together is still below the capacity of the economy.”

    He thanked those “entrusting us with their contribution to the fund. I wish to call on numerous qualified Muslims to hasten to the call of Allah and fulfil this important obligation. It is common knowledge that payment of zakat is the least observed among the five pillars of Islam because a vast majority of Muslims, who are supposed to deduct and pay Zakat from their wealth have not paid sufficient attention to this obligation. Zakat is a compulsory act of worship meant not only to purify and increase their wealth but also to earn them a great reward from Allah both in this world and the hereafter. If left unpaid it will also be a source of punishment from Allah both in this world and the hereafter.”

    The beneficiaries, he said, are in different categories including education support, medical treatment and accommodation.

    “Others will receive cash and business equipment to start, support or expand their businesses in the micro and small scale level,” he said.

    Sonaike urged the beneficiaries to ensure a prudent management of the fund/equipment they receive and pray Allah to banish poverty.

    The Secretary of The Companion Zakat Fund Committee, Alhaji Abdul Kabir Olayiwola Baruwa said equipment distributed include sewing, industrial and grinding machines and freezers.

    Baruwa said the beneficiaries were selected using the criteria stipulated in the Quran.

    “The selection process is transparent and lot of due diligence was put in place to ensure the Zakat proceed goes to the indigents,” he said.

  • 75 get N5.3m for empowerment

    No fewer than 75 people received N5.3 million cash and materials for empowerment, The Companion, an association of Muslim men in business and professions, Amir (President) Alhaji Wale Sonaike has said.

    The disbursement was meant to redistribute wealth from the rich to the poor.

    At the Lagos House of Assembly Mosque Hall, Ikeja, where the seventh edition of The Companion Zakat and Sadaqah Fund Distribution was held, Sonaike expressed happiness that the number of contributors this year is higher than in the previous years.

    He said: “We have also been able to increase the number of beneficiaries as well even though it is less than 50 per cent of the applications we received. This clearly shows that we still have a very long way to go.  The amount of money we were able to collect this year is about N5.3 million and this is a far cry from the Zakat and Sadaqah Fund available in the Lagos economy. We observe with satisfaction that a number of Muslim organisations are also involved in Zakat collection and distribution, but all put together is still below the capacity of the economy.”

    He thanked Muslim brothers and sisters for “entrusting us with their contribution to the fund. I still wish to call on numerous qualified Muslims in the society who are yet to respond, to hasten to the call of Allah and willingly fulfil this important obligation. It is common knowledge that the payment of zakat is the least observed among the five pillars of Islam because a vast majority of Muslims who are supposed to deduct and pay Zakat from their wealth have not paid sufficient attention to this obligation. I wish to remind all qualified Muslims that zakat (according to the injunction of Allah) is a compulsory act of worship and is meant not only to purify and increase their wealth but also to earn them a great reward from Allah both in this world and the hereafter. If left unpaid unfortunately, the zakat will also be a source of punishment from Allah both in this world and the hereafter.”

    The beneficiaries, he said, are in different categories including education support, medical treatment and rental accommodation.

    “Others will receive cash and business equipment to start, support or expand their businesses in the micro and small scale level,” he said.

    Sonaike urged the beneficiaries to ensure a prudent management of the fund/equipment they receive and pray Allah to banish poverty from their lives.

    The Secretary of The Companion Zakat Fund Committee, Alhaji Abdul Kabir Olayiwola Baruwa said equipment distributed include sewing, industrial and grinding machines and freezers.

    Baruwa explained the beneficiaries were selected using the criteria stipulated in the Quran.

    “The selection process is transparent and lot of due diligence was put in place to ensure the Zakat proceed goes to the indigent people,” he said.

  • Empowerment: Traders urged to use money wisely

    Beneficiaries of Empowerment Programmes have been advised to utilize whatever given to them to improve their standards of living.A member of the House of Representatives, Dr Dolapo Enitan Badru, who offered the advice during the presentation of cash gifts to 120 petty traders in Isale-Eko, Lagos Island, said that “some beneficiaries of such programmes see the money as the sharing of the national cake and use what they give them for social activities instead of using it to develop their businesses.

    Dr. Badru, who is representing the Lagos Island Constituency One in the House of Representatives, stated that normally it was not the responsibility of lawmakers to do empowerment programmes, but the harsh economic situation in the country called for their intervention to assist the executive arm of government to improve the living standards of the residents.

    He explained that in the past, when he gave twenty tricycles (keke maruwa) to some people, he heard that a beneficiary sold it for quick money.

    The lawmaker stated that as a responsible politician, happiness of the electorate must be his happiness and he would continue to do everything to make his people happy.

    The lawmaker also used the occasion to enjoin the electorate of the 10 wards in his constituency to always summit a memo to his constituency office on their needs from the government, so that he could assist them to pursue their requests.

    Dr Badru added that “those who have not collected their permanent voter cards still have the opportunity to do so before general elections”.

    He used the opportunity to expressed gratitude to leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the area, particularly Prince Tajudeen Olusi and all members of the party, for voting for him last Thursday to represent the party in next year general elections.

     

     

     

     

  • NEPC, ITC partner on empowerment

    The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), in collaboration with the International Trade Center (ITC), has entered into a deal to launch the SheTrade Commonwealth Project (SCP), Nigerian chapter, to make women significant contributors to the economy.

    Speaking at the SCP implementation workshop in Lagos, NEPC Executive Director/CEO, Mr. Olusegun Awolowo, said the initiative was aimed at connecting women to global trade.

    Awolowo said the partnership intends to correct the gender disparity in accessing resources for business start-ups and expansion as women entrepreneurs face challenges in getting credit and loans while their businesses have fewer employees and shorter business longevity.

    He said: “Over the years, there has been international discourse on the need to mainstream women in economic activities to curtail dysfunction that could degrade family incomes and wellbeing. It has also been argued that women’s contributions to the national economic building are hardly noticed since they are prevalent in the less productive sectors and are largely invisible in the global supply chain.”

    He observed that in Nigeria, women supply 70 per cent of agricultural labour, 50 per cent of animal husbandry-related activities and 60 per cent of food processing, yet they have access to only 20 per cent of available agricultural resources.

    Awolowo said the initiative,  launched in April, is funded by United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), adding that it was endorsed by UK Prime Minister, Theresa May during the opening of the Commonwealth Business Forum in London.

    Also, Senior Programme Officer at ITC’s Women and Trade Programme office, Mr. Nicholas Schlaepfer, said that the programme will ensure that women entrepreneurs in Nigeria receive support tailored to their specific needs allowing them to propel their existing market representation and secure greater access to global trade.

  • ‘UBA Learn’ for students’ empowerment unveiled

    United Bank for Africa (UBA) has introduced ‘UBA Learn’ targeted at helping students achieve all round academic success.

    The product, an online Learning Platform for students powered by Roducate, was launched yesterday, with particular emphasis on helping students within the age range of five to 16 years and 17 to 24 attain academic excellence, while ensuring that the parents and teachers keep track and monitor their ward’s educational developments and performance.

    UBA Learn is accessible online, through a downloadable mobile app and  USSD (*919*33#) and is open to both existing customers and non-customers.

    Intending customers can have account numbers automatically generated once they enroll on the platform. The platform features academic curricula ( WAEC), NECO, Continuous assessments and tests, financial education, learning/fun games, etc.

    Speaking at the launch of the Product, Group Managing Director, Kennedy Uzoka said: “United Bank for Africa is a technology-driven company with enormous capability in business. Because education is key to us and is a fundamental human right, we felt a need to extend our capability to education, by revolutionising access to education through technology. ”

    That’s the main reason we are here today- to bring knowledge to the doorstep of everyone across Africa and other parts of the world, through this Unique innovation, called UBA learn”.

    Uzoka continued: “The app is a distinctive and well-tailored product loaded with all the needed learning tools and required subjects put together in a robust manner that is guaranteed to grow with the student early on to when he or she becomes a young adult.

    “UBA Learn was carefully conceptualised to suit a niche focus of our customers who are mostly students; because more than anything, we are a bank that is particularly passionate about the growth and development of youths especially as it concerns their academic growth as is evidenced in the plethora of campaigns and Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives (CSR) targeted at helping them find their paths in life, e.g.  Read Africa Initiative, Campus Ambassadors, National Essay Competition among others”. said Anant Rao, Group Executive, Digital & Consumer Banking.