.Empowers 284 Constituents
The House of Representatives Member, Representing Zangon Kataf/Jaba Federal Constituency of Kaduna State, Barr. Sunday Marshall Katung has rolled out an empowerment scheme for over 284 trained entrepreneurs in Southern Kaduna.
According to the Member, his desire is to liberate Women and Youth from poverty to wealth creation by providing them with the necessary skills and fund to enable them create wealth.
Presenting certificates to 284 women and youths who benefited from the five-day skill acquisition training organized by his office in Zonkwa, Kaduna State, Katung said, the era of dishing out cash to individual people has gone.
Representatives Katung added that empowering women and youth is the greatest investment a politician can make for the future, rather than dishing out money to them.
According to Katung, “I have thought deeply what measures we can take to salvage our people from the bond of laziness and poverty to wealth creation.
The Lawmaker added that the aim of the training was to engage the beneficiaries so that they would be self-reliant.
He said the beneficiaries would be required to open an account with designated commercial banks, adding that cash deposits would be made to their accounts as take-off capital for their businesses.
The Legislator said the scheme would further enable the beneficiaries to develop proposal to access loans especially from the Bank of Industry.
He told the beneficiaries that they would be supervised periodically to ascertain their productivity, even as he charged them to be prudent with the resources at their disposal
“Our youths today have been labeled names and engaged into doing uncharitable things by evil people to perpetrate evil within their communities and the region. Our women are wasting away with all the potentials and value they can add to the economy.
“These and other reasons informed our resolve to hold this empowerment training, so that we can engage the future generation in meaningful economic activities that will be of benefit to not only them, but to their immediate families, village, community, Local government, region and the country at large.
“The minimum amount required to open the account has been provided. We will make a modest contribution into each account when the process is completed. The idea is to enable the trained entrprenuers have a smooth start in their march towards self sustenance.
“Because of the seriousness we attach to this issue, we decided to partner with a government agency (SMEDAN), which has all the expertise and capacity to deliver high quality empowerment training that we know will be highly beneficial and impactful.
“In fact, in the next three months, we will be going round to take stock of those who have been able to make use of the skills they have acquired during this training and we will make efforts to support them and to improve their business as much as is possible. In furtherance of this objective of supporting the participants we are collaborating with two local banks towards opening accounts for all of you.
“For those who missed out on this current exercise I assure you that another opportunity will avail itself. Thus I urge you to support and be happy for these so that your time will come soon”, he said.
Also speaking, Mr John Luka of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Co-partners and a Resource person at the training said that training was packaged to equip participants with entrepreneurship skill that would make them compete favorably in the global world.
Luka said the beneficiaries had been equipped to convenniently start producing soap, Dettol and room freshener of high quality for business and personal consumption.
“This training would eventually make participants self-reliant and meaningful contributors to their families and their respective communities,” he said.
Also in a goodwill message, Mr Ben Kure, former Commissioner of Information in Kaduna State urged the beneficiaries to guard with every sense of responsibility, the knowledge acquired at the training.
He said the beneficiaries should consider themselves lucky to have undergone such a training that would make them meaningful members of the community.
Mrs Sarah Musa, a beneficiary said she would use the skill acquired to further train others so that they too would benefit from her skill.
Mr. David Dogo commended the initiator and urged other well meaning individuals to emulate the same gesture.
The meeting had in attendance politicians and people from all works of life.
Another beneficiary of the scheme, Mrs. Martha Amos commended the representative for the gesture and promised to make business out of the skills she acquired.
The meeting had in attendance Representatives, Jagaba Adams Jagaba (APC, Kachia/Kagarko), Gaza Jonathan Gbeifi (Karu/Keffi/Kokona), Timothy Simon Golu (Pankshin/Kanam/Kanke), Johnbull Shekarau (Shendam/Mikang/Quanpan), Engr. Solomon Maren (Mangu/Bakkos), Davematic David Umbugadu (Nassarawa Eggon/ Akwanga/Wamba), former Plateau State governorship aspirant, Hon. Hexo Piennap, top politicians from Kaduna State.
The 284 constituents were trained in different skills including, soap, air freshener, petroleum jelly, disinfectant making among others, in partnership with Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN).
