The Nation Newspaper

Tag: empowers

  • Firm empowers undergrads with grants, life skills

    Firm empowers undergrads with grants, life skills

    IN its quests to engender the culture of self-reliance and enterprise among the teeming youths population, Life Can Be Greater (LCBG), an organisation which prides itself as a “solution-provider to everyday problems” has instituted a process aimed at tasking the creative ability of undergraduates.

    The LCBG kicked off its inaugural campaign with an ideas contest, which they coined “solutions session” held at Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo campus, recently.

    In anticipation of an engaging interaction with the organisers, the students, many of whom are already battle-weary from the protest over the tuition hike and prolonged faceoff of the institution’s management with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (LASU Chapter), fanned out en masse as they occupied the faculty hall of the Social Sciences, venue of the event.

    After filling the hall to the brim, the students got the first shock of the day as a few dozen of the participants were immediately rewarded with a N20,000 cheque in the first few minutes of the event. It was a simple game: they were all to look under their seats and pull out a brown envelope tightly sealed beneath it.

    Upbeat, the students ripped open their envelopes; but while some hissed as they read out the words printed on the cards, ‘Better luck next time,’ there were rapturous screams from various parts of the hall as others proudly waved their new found prize which is to be applied towards their tuition.

    Expectedly, this got the event to a fiery head start as the students decided to seize the moment and not only compete for the remaining envelopes with various size cheques, but contend among themselves for the two big prizes: the half and full tuition scholarship on offer, a development the organisers described as heartwarming since they set out to challenge the students to think creatively and proffer solutions to everyday problems in their communities, while rewarding those who come up with brilliant simple answers to internal and national issues.

    Marketing Executive and PR Director of LCBG, Mr. Derin Olukayode, said Life Can Be Greater is a movement that proffers solutions to societal issues on a small scale and galvanises citizens to push for their implementation on a wider scale. “We are looking for practical solutions, we don’t have to wait for the government for everything.

    “There are little things we can do to make life better for ourselves and the next person and that is what we want to inculcate into the students. Life, indeed, is hard; schools fees are high, but life can be greater if we focus our minds on solving those little things that make the country and ourselves greater.

    “LCBG is here to let you know there is hope. If I have learned anything in life, it is the power of hope and the power of one person to change the world by giving people hope. Washington, Lincoln, King, Mandela, Obama and even the young girl from Pakistan, Malala, are examples of the power of what one person can achieve,” he said.

    During the solutions session, several pertinent issues directly affecting students were thrown up, among which include the worrisome trend of students dropping out of school in large numbers every year because of the high tuition, inadequate funding of education, insecurity problems, incessant disruption of academic calendar owing to ASUU strike, and absence of accommodation for LASU students.

    “We are worried because those that drop out of school today are the ones who will become the society’s nemesis tomorrow, and no matter how successful we become, we still have to live in a society with a high level of hoodlums and thugs. Also, we wonder why WIFI network is free in other universities like the University of Lagos (UNILAG); yet, we pay a lot in LASU to subscribe to the internet connection in this ICT generation,” one of the students said.

    At the end of the ideas contest, two winners emerged. Oluwafemi Okunleye, a 300-level student of Accounting, won the full tuition scholarship for his didactic analysis of the accommodation problem in LASU and his solution of the state government engaging private sector organisations like Life Can Be Greater, in a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) mechanism that will alleviate the suffering of students who travel long distances to attend lectures.

    Lawal Ismail Omoniyi emerged second best and walked away with the partial scholarship for inspiring his fellow students to catch the entrepreneurial bug early in life, because “nobody owes us a job after graduating. It is up to us to create the future we really want and one thought-provoking seminar like this is enough to change people’s lives,” he noted.

    An elated Omoniyi told newsmen after the event that he was happy to have won the partial scholarship. “It is really a great day for me. When I came here, I wasn’t expecting to win any money, but along the line I was inspired by what was happening in the hall and I called up my spirit of determination and psyched myself to come up with a brilliant idea, which fetched me N100,000.

    “I also thank the organisers of this programme, they have demonstrated that, indeed, life can be greater. I emphasised during my presentation that one seminar is enough to change people’s lives and build up the entrepreneurial spirit.”

    A member of LCBG, Ms. Omorinsojo, explained that the group could not afford to give every student grants and decided not to award the scholarships based on academic performance, “because we believe each student is qualified to be a change agent and history has shown that bright students do not have the monopoly of creative ideas and solutions.”

    Kemi ‘Lala’ Akindoju, the MC of the event, said – “We are happy we fulfilled our mission, which is that for the students, even if they didn’t win any money, many would be leaving the hall challenged and inspired to change their environment by looking inwards for solutions to their own problems.”

    While commenting of the initiative, the president of the Students’ Union, LASU, Comrade Nurudeen Yusuf, popularly known as Optimist, was full of praise for the LCBG team for bringing such huge relief to students through the programme.

    “We look forward to more rewarding cooperation with the LCBG team. We believe there can be greater life in LASU, in Lagos, and even in our country. As a student body, we have the vision of launching a students’ endowment fund where we can dip our hands into some millions of naira and give to indigent students. With this, the public will have more confidence in us and even support the project.”

  • Abe empowers 7,900 women

    More than 7,900 women, particularly widows in Rivers South-East, consisting of Andoni, Eleme, Gokana, Khana, Opobo/Nkoro, Oyigbo and Tai local governments, have gained from the Senator Magnus Abe wrapper scheme.

    Wrappers were presented to 1,000 women drawn from the 10 wards of Oyigbo Local Government.

    All Progressives Congress (APC) ward chairmen, spokesmen, women and youth leaders in the area got a motorcycle each.

    Speaking at the ceremony in Afam, Oyigbo Local Government Area, Abe said the gesture was to thank the women for their support to the Amaechi administration.

    He said: “What I am doing here is not constituency project, it is between my people and me.

    “My constituency projects are schools being built here in Oyigbo and Sogho, in Khana Local Government. Others are Anatomy Block in the University of Port Harcourt (Uniport) and a project at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology.”

  • Senate Leader empowers constituents with N150m

    Senate Leader empowers constituents with N150m

    Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba has donated several items to people of the Central Senatorial District in Cross River State, which he represents, for their empowerment.

    Items he gave out at an event at Government Secondary School Ikom Local Government Area  included 50 brand new cars, garri grinding machines, corn mills, oil mills, sets of flat screen televisions, electricity generating sets and decoders for viewing centres, among others.

    According to him, the items were procured at the cost of N150 million and was the fifth in series of empowerment programmes he has carried out this year among which are scholarships to students and grants to widows.

    He said in the past week, 26 cars had been given out in addition to the 50 given at the event.

    Also he said 121 constituents who trained at the Entrepreneurial Development Centre in Calabar were given N200, 000 to start up their businesses.

    Complete band sets were given to 22 churches in the district.

    Beneficiaries were drawn from the six local government areas that make up the senatorial district.

    He urged  those who have not yet benefited to be patient as they would get theirs in the near future.

    Senate President David Mark, who also attended the event, praised the Senate Leader for the gesture, saying it would bring succour to the people.

    He commended the cordial relationship between the governor, Liyel Imoke and Ndoma-Egba.

    He said if the empowerment was to be sustained, it was necessary that the people support Ndoma-Egba for another term in office.

    Mark said: “The governor spoke about sustainable empowerment. How would we have this? If Victor Ndoma-Egba goes back to the Senate, then there will be sustainable empowerment. If he doesn’t go back, you cannot sustain the empowerment. I hope this is clear to those who are here. Go out and spread that message.

    “When you say the Senate is stable, there are two people who make it very stable. They are the Deputy President of the Senate and Leader of the Senate. So, you have produced a son who has made a mark in this country. He has helped to stabilise a very important institution of democracy in this country.”

    Governor Liyel Imoke also praised the Senate Leader for the empowerment programme, even as he urged other lawmakers to emulate same.

    His words: “Democracy is not about self but the people. Those who represent us are expected by our people to truly empower them, to go out there and work for them and bring good things for them. We are here to witness the good things Ndoma-Egba has brought to his people in the central senatorial district.

    “Today, we come to honour the Senate Leader as our own son who has done well and who deemed it necessary to come to his people and say thank you. All our representatives must engage in empowerment. I am talking about sustainable empowerment. They must ensure that our people truly feel the impact of democracy.

    “I want to thank our leader for purposeful leadership at the national level and here in the state. I want to thank our son for being part of that family that today makes Cross River State proud.”

    Also speaking, National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Adamu Muazu, who was represented by Dr Steve Oru, said if one does not empower people, hatred is built.

    He urged other leaders to continue to empower their people.

    Chairman of the PDP in the state, Mr John Okon, described the gesture as part of the dividends of democracy.

    “The party would be strong if we continue to show these kind of gestures. We are very proud of Victor Ndoma-Egba,” he said

  • UK church empowers Ikorodu community

    The absence of social security and other aids for the less privileged is largely responsible for the rising insurgency in the country.

    This was the consensus of speakers last week during the official commissioning of Grace and Mercy Programme of the Grace to Grace International Church in Ikorodu Lagos.

    They said rich Nigerians must begin to initiate moves to give a little way to the vulnerable in the society to guarantee peace and security.

    The Senior Pastor of Holy Ghost Christian Centre Lagos, Pastor Amos Fenwa, who was the guest speaker at the occasion, called on Nigerians to spare a thought for the poor.

    Speaking on giving is living, Fenwa said there is no way the rich will enjoy their wealth if they neglect the poor and flaunt their affluence before them.

    Lamenting the widening gap between the rich and poor, Fenwa said the situation is a breeding ground for terrorism and crimes, which have reached frightening proportion in the nation.

    According to him: “Those who think about accumulation without giving away are in for troubles. You don’t become great by accumulating but by giving away”.

    Urging Nigerians to spare some thoughts for the less privileged, the cleric said everyone has what it takes to make living a little better for others.

    He said: “You don’t have to have so much to give. The little you have means so much to some people. So, the more you give, the more you are established and consolidated.”

    Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, who declared the community project open, commended the church for giving back to the society.

    She said such efforts will not only give residents a sense of belonging but also address restiveness among the unemployed.

    She stressed that every Nigerian and organisation must begin to think of how to ameliorate poverty in the land through various humanitarian projects.

    The visioner, Pastor (Mrs.) Atinuke Adesanya, informed the project will involve free medical check-ups, vocational trainings and offering of aids such as clothes, computers and toiletries to poor residents in Isawo.

    She assured of the church’s commitment to raising the community, stating “it is our hope that this initiative will help a lot of people who in the future can contribute significantly to the Nigerian economy”.

    The UK-based preacher said such initiatives help to reduce tensions in poor communities overseas and enable the rich to feel safe among the less privileged.

    She added that more of such ideas will be initiated to help the Isawo community become self-reliant and economically viable in the future.

    The chairperson of the Ikorodu West Local Community Development Area (LCDA), Princess Olajumoke Jimbo-Ademehin, also commended the church for the initiative.

    She said it will make the community safer and provide economic empowerment to residents.

  • Honeywell empowers women

    Honeywell Flour Mills Plc, makers of Honeywell Noodles, has said its support for entrepreneurship remains unwavering. It has empowered about 40 indigent women with products and equipment as start-up capital.

    Donating the products to the beneficiaries in Abeokuta, Ogun State, at the weekend, at the just-concluded International Women’s Day celebration, Executive Director, Marketing, Honeywell Flour Mills Plc, Mr. Benson Evbuomwan, said women are very key in the family, hence, empowering them meant empowering the whole family.

    Describing women as good managers, he said they would make good use of the opportunity provided them.

    Items given to them included sewing machines, generating sets, deep freezers, plastic chairs and tables, jumbo umbrellas and Honeywell products.

    One of the beneficiaries, a widow, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Adesegun, thanked Honeywell for the gesture, promising to be very prudent in managing the resources.

  • Fidelity Bank empowers women entrepreneurs

    Fidelity Bank empowers women entrepreneurs

    Fidelity Bank has said it is committed to the wellbeing of rural women and children. In a statement, the lender said its workers at the Yola Branch supported the Women Development Centre, Yola, in Adamawa State.

    The workers also renovated two workshop blocks and donated sewing machines to the centre in line with its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) vision driven by the Fidelity Helping Hands Programme (FHHP).

    Commissioning the project, the State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Halima Mohammed Hayatu lauded the bank for its efforts.

    She said the lender’s gesture would go a long way in alleviating poverty and empowering women in the state.

    While calling on other corporate institutions and wealthy individuals in the state to emulate the bank, the commissioner said the ministry would work with the bank to reduce the plight of women and children in the state.

    Presenting the equipment on behalf of the Managing Director of the bank, Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo, the General Manager, North Bank, Mr. Idris Yakubu, explained that the FHHP is the bank’s CSR platform by which the bank’s staff initiate and execute projects in communities using funds contributed by themselves.

  • Lawmaker empowers constituents with N72m

    A member of the House of Representatives representing Ojo Constituency, Toyin Suarau, has spent N75 million to empower his constituents in the last two years.

    The gesture, he said, was to assist them to live a decent life.

    Many of the people, Suarau said, are not immune from the economical challenges facing the masses, hence his intervention.

    He spoke at his constituency office in Ishasi, Lagos while giving account of his stewardship since his election in 2011.

    According to Suarau, the monthly salary, which he started paying in January 2012, had benefited many people.

    He said the programme was to fulfil part of his promise.

    “The essence of this programme is to fulfill part of the promises I made during my campaign. I have been doing this since January 2012. We pay salary to over 400 people to ameliorate their sufferings,” the lawmaker said.

    He debunked allegations from a faction of his party that he has done nothing for his constituency since elected.

    The former chairman of Iba Local Council Development Area said he has executed projects, which include installation of solar-powered street lights, boreholes, poverty alleviation/empowerment of constituents, scholarship and provision of GCE forms to students, welfare package, provision of employments, financial assistance to the aged, construction of Information Communication Technology (ICT) centres and provision of 30 KVA transformer, among others.

    He enjoined the people to change the mentality that “a candidate cannot go for a second term in Ojo” and not to be deceived by any group or the opposition.

    The Baale Oke-Ago, Oto Awori, Chief Abu Muinu, thanked Suarau for doing a good job.

    He urged party members to avoid politics of bitterness.

  • ‘Fadama III empowers farmers in Plateau’

    ‘Fadama III empowers farmers in Plateau’

    The Co-ordinator, Fadama III Project Office in Plateau, Mr Gideon Dandam, said the World Bank-assisted programme has empowered in the state.

    Dandam, who spoke in Jos, said the programme has contributed to agricultural development in the state.

    According to him, with the formation of Fadama User Groups, (FUGs), Plateau farmers are working together as cooperatives, which was not the case before the introduction of the programme.

    “The World Bank came in to increase the income of the rural poor with small money that empowered them in terms of crop production, livestock, processing and rural infrastructure.’’

    Dandam said the project has been able to meet the needs of farmers through increased yields, adding that initially farmers were producing 1.5 tonnes per hectare, “but when we gave them improved seed like Faro 44, today, our farmers are harvesting four to five tonnes per hectare.

    “It is a big achievement which has increased the income of farmers and consequently increasing the revenue base of the state.’’

    The project coordinator further said Fadama III had inculcated into Plateau farmers the attitude of raising livestock within a short time.

  • Governor’s wife empowers widows

    WIFE of Lagos State Governor Dame Abimbola Fashola has advised widows to be industrious and prayerful so as to lead their children aright.

    She gave the advice at The Hydra Edge (T.H.E) Foundation’s annual widows’ empowerment programme held at Orile Agege, a Lagos suburb.

    Mrs Fashola, who was the guest speaker, praised the foundation under the leadership of Mrs Abiodun Opeifa, for alleviating widows’ suffering, adding that she is always in full support of any foundation that supports widows.

    She advised the widows not to discriminate against any job as long as it is legal and rewarding so that they can take care of their children, adding that any of their children who cannot cope academically should be supported to learn a trade chosen by such a child, this she said will enable them to be useful to themselves and the larger society.

    Mrs Fashola presented a three-year scholarship to a 13-year-old pupil of Methodist Boys High School, Ayomide Adebayo from Kogi State, who emerged the best in his class.

    The foundation, presented eight grinding machines; five deep freezers and 10 sewing machines to selected widows. Also 20 other widows got N50,000 each on its microcredit scheme. It also presented 500 bags of rice, garri and other food items to the widows.

    Mrs Opeifa said it is a way of giving back to the society, adding that the foundation seeks to enhance the quality of lives of widows and economically disadvantaged students.

  • Kano empowers 832 youths

    Kano State Government has empowered another set of 832 youths, on different agro-based businesses.

    They were trained in different skills at the state Agricultural Institute.

    At the closing ceremony, Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso said the state has established six capacity building institutes aimed at training its youths on various youth empowerment schemes, such as poultry, livestock, fisheries, farm mechanisation, irrigation and horticulture, adding that of the 832 youths, 600 graduated in poultry, 100 from farm mechanisation, while 132 are from the livestock training institutes.

    Each of them would be provided with 100 day-old chicks, antibiotics, six bags of chick mash, 100 bags of grower mash drinkers and feeders each, amounting to N73,400 for each trainee, bringing the total to N44.40 million.

    The governor explained that the 100 trainees from the farm mechanised institute would be given post-training package, comprising tool box, knap sack and a sprayer chemical starter, worth N50,000 for each trainee.

    Alos, trainees of the livestock institute would be provided with 10 set of high bred rabbits, concentrate feed drugs and motivate, cage and smoking klin, valued at N63,200 for each trainee on rabbit production, while those trained on ram fattening would receive two rams, concentrate feeds, salt lick, drugs, all valued at N66,300 each. He those trained on bull fattening would receive one bull, feeds, drugs, transport and handling package as their post-training packages, amounting to N1,360,000 each.

    The Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr Baraka Sani said the ministry has so far succeeded in fulfilling the governor’s pledge to provide jobs, as well as enhance food security and promote commercial agriculture in the state.

    Baraka explained that over 6,000 youths, comprising men and women have been trained and empowered in different agricultural skills from the six agricultural institutes established by the Kwankwaso-led administration.