Jigawa Govt disburses N44m worth of economic empowerment tools, loans to 353 youths
NAN-H-20
Empowerment
Dutse, Sept. 23, 2016 (NAN) The Jigawa Government said it had distributed economic empowerment tools worth 44, 444 million to 353 to youths in Northwest Senatorial District of the state.
Alhaji Muhammad Mujaddadi, the Special Assistant (SA) to the state government on Economic Empowerment, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Dutse on Friday.
Mujaddadi said that the gesture was to enable the beneficiaries set up their own businesses and become employers of labour.
He said the gesture was also to reduce the level of unemployment and restiveness among youths in the area.
“As you are aware, the concept of youth economic empowerment is among the top policy thrust of this administration.
“Let me make it clear to you that the present administration has feelings of youth development in its heart.
“That is why there is no appropriate time to implement such kind of programme of youth empowerment better than now.
“It has been a widely shared view and opinion that larger percentage of our urban and rural youths are seriously under abject poverty and a lot of other associated problems.
“Therefore a series of laudable programmes have been initiated by the present administration on youth development sectors in order to alleviate the attendant economic hardship being faced by the youths who are the leaders and the future generation,” he said.
The special adviser said that some of the beneficiaries venturing into agriculture were given work bulls, carriage cart, plough ridgerd, and animals partnering tools.
According to him, those going into food vending were given mini gas cookers and juice mixer and money to rent shop.
Mujaddadi said that others were given grinding machines, sewing machines, shoes making machines and those venturing in hair cut were given power generating sets and other needed tools.
“Those interested in fishing were given canoes and other fishing gears, some welder machines, some block producers were given block making machines, while others were given computers and accessories to open business centres.
Others were given furniture tools, car wash tools and some going into phone charging were also given tools, including power generating sets,” he added.
He said that the loans were repayable within two years.
“You will agree with me that this is a bold step towards empowering youths which will lead to their economic growth and development.
“Therefore, this administration will leave no stone unturned in this direction to uplift the standard of youths to compete with their counterparts nationally and internationally,” the adviser said.
Mujaddadi advised urge youths to utilise the tools and funds judiciously so that the government’s dreams of economic empowerment in respect of youths would become a reality.
He the state government would continue to come up with policies and programmes that would uplift youths and other vulnerable groups in the state. (NAN)
MNB/TA
Controlled by Tajudeen Atitebi