Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi
No fewer than 1,000 women and youths in the Warji and Ningi Local Government Areas of Bauchi State have benefited from N150 million empowerment programme by the state government to improve the living standard of the people of the state.
Flagging off the programme in the two local government areas of the state on Saturday, the Bauchi State governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, said that the economic empowerment is all about making the people of Bauchi State self-reliant by providing them the wherewithal and conducive environment to be economically productive, adding that the programme was designed to boost economic activities, address the problem of unemployment and alleviative poverty among the people, especially the youths and women.
The governor assured that his administration placed high premium on empowerment through job creation as a testimony of its commitment towards poverty alleviation.
He pointed out that his administration has put in place the Bauchi State Microfinance Institution Building Programme (MIFIN) to complement the Kaura Economic Empowerment Programme (KEEP).
“The aim of this programme is to develop and strengthen microfinance institutions and establish linkages among the institutions and other financial institutions in order to create a viable and sustainable microfinance system.
“The ultimate goal is to enhance access of the poor to financial services so as to boost the productivity of micro and small scale enterprises, thereby reducing poverty.
“Since the commencement of the formal launching of the KEEP in the local government areas, an average of N75 million in both cash and kind has been distributed to some selected beneficiaries in each of the local governments where the programme has so far been launched.
“Selected beneficiaries of the programme in Ningi and Warji Local Government Areas would therefore today be given the following items, which include provision of starter packs and N50,000 cash for 500 persons per local government; provision of three motor cycles in each of the wards of the 20 local governments; provision of N100,000.00 cash to women leaders and youth leaders in each of the 20 local governments and the provision of five buses to each of the 20 local governments. The beneficiaries are PDP’s ward chairmen, ward coordinators and ward youth leaders,” he said.
Governor Mohammed, therefore, appealed to the beneficiaries of the KEEP to make good use of the opportunity by properly managing the cash and items given to them to boost their economic status and assist others who may not have access to the largesse, adding that his government will continue to explore more ways and means of poverty alleviation.
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