From Joseph Asegba, Yola
In an effort to alleviate the ongoing poverty in the nation, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa state has empowered 4,000 households through state empowerment program in it’s second Business wallet.
He also launched 31 mass transit buses to Tertiary institutions in the state so to cushion transportation problems and pledged to engage 100,000 youths with employment.
Speaking while the flag-off of the business wallet proper, Fintiri said the scheme will have tremendous multiplier effect as about 100,000 citizens will be impacted.
According to him, the program being ongoing, “Last year, we launched the Fintiri Business Wallet for our women. This is a commerce corridor which reinforces our commitment to wrestle poverty and open the doors of thousands of our households to life-saving businesses and prosperity.
“What makes this corridor a unique product, is its deliberate focus on women. Starting with a grant of ₦50,000 to each of the 10,000 beneficiaries across the 21 Local Government Areas of the State, the corridor has so far empowered at least 10,000 women petty traders.
Gov. Fintiri noted that, “Today, we are disbursing another ₦50,000 to each woman in the second batch of the beneficiaries to either support or start up trading. What this means is that going by the UN definition of a household, meaning; a woman and four other persons eating from the same pot, we shall be empowering about 4000 households holding not less than 100,000 persons annually. This indeed, is huge onslaught against poverty”.
He disclosed that in order to make life easier for residents, his administration has procured additional 31 mass transit buses to enhance movements of people and goods across the state just as he pledged to employ new workforce in the state and that government has put modalities in place to ensure that no fewer than 100,000 youths get life skills across the state.
“I want to assure that, Through our ICT-for-Empowerment corridor, we are training over 100,000 youths with the necessary skills for survival.
You would recall that, “Early this year, we test-ran the intra and intercity mass transit system with our deployment of 10 luxurious busses, this has cushioned the effect of transportation hardship on our people.
“Having seen the impact of mass public transport, we have decided to scale up the scheme by procuring additional 31 mass transit luxurious busses. Today, I am happy to tell you that, I am handing over these buses to the concerned operators for onward deployment to our roads and usage of our people.
The Governor reiterated that, “We are also going to allocate a substantial number of the busses to our schools to fix the harsh transportation hardship experienced by our students. With the debate on the new minimum wage settled, we intend to recruit more applicants into the service of the state”.
Speaking earlier, the Director General of Poverty Allieviation And Wealth Creation Agency (PAWECA), Dr. Michael Zira thanked Governor Fintiri for his unwavering resolve to mitigate poverty in the state.
The DG lauded Fintiri effort as his agency has concluded plan to distribute N50,000 to 10,000 female beneficiaries.
So that, “Today, we are delighted to disburse N50,000 each to 10,000 women beneficiaries of the Fintiri Business Wallet Program. This initiative is not just a financial assistance scheme but a demonstration of the Governor’s commitment to empowering women and fostering economic independence.
“Moreover, the Governor’s dedication extends beyond financial assistance. We celebrate the fact that over 5,000 students are currently receiving training across our ten technical training centres across the state, with more than 300 Master-Trainers engaged in imparting vital skills.
Zira said, “This is a clear indication of the Governor’s commitment to equipping our youth with the necessary skills to thrive and contribute positively to our state’s development,”.
He revealed that since the assumption of governor Fintiri in office, no fewer than 20,000 youth were trained in various life saving skills just as PAWECA works towards ensuring a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) to secure alternative funding from private businesses in order to lessen the huge burden on the state government.
He said: “In the last five years of your able leadership, over 20,000 youths have been trained in various trades across the 10 Skills Acquisition Centres established in the State. This achievement underscores your commitment to developing a skilled and self-reliant youth population in Adamawa State.
“Your Excellency, under your mandate PAWECA is working towards establishing Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) to encourage alternative funding sources and reduce the financial burden on the government by collaborating with private sector entities, we can change the quality and the reach of our training programs, ensuring sustainability, promoting innovation, and fostering a culture of continuous learning and development.”
Some of the beneficiaries who in appreciation said the efforts of Governor Fintiri, they ran short of wards to appreciate the Governor and said empowering a woman is empowering the nation therefore, promises that they will use the gesture accordingly and promised not to disappoint the Governor.
