December 18, 2015 – The Executive Secretary of Ojokoro Local Council Development Area, Hon. Mrs Faust Olajoku, on Wednesday demonstrated how small entrepreneurship can genuinely tackle the problem of poverty and unemployment, just as she warned that grassroots empowerment schemes can only be beneficial to the people if adequately utilized.
Olajoku who made the statement during an empowerment programme organized by the LCDA for over 2, 000 artisans and residents of the area, added that with such programmes, the people of the area would no longer be idle.
She maintained that the council embarked on the program to ensure that more of their citizens benefit and get engaged in one trade or another, emphasizing that the 2-month skills acquisition programme, 2015 had enabled more than 2000 beneficiaries to become self independent, start their own individual businesses as entrepreneurs and become employers of labour.
The council boss, who congratulate all the beneficiaries and wish them best of luck also appealed to them to make judicious use of the opportunity to pave way for others. She also expressed deep appreciation to the instructors and all those that contributed in one way or the other, to the success of the programme.
“I sincerely express my profound gratitude to all the beneficiaries for their patience throughout the duration of the programme which I know would go a long way to provide income for our people in Ojokoro LCDA and its environs. I am quite sure that my people especially the beneficiaries of would no longer be idle. Once again, I say congratulations and I make bold to say that the council intend to do more in future”, Olajoku said.
Earlier in his address at the program, the Head of Administration of the LCDA, Mr. Rasheed Pedro, expressed optimism that the programme would go a long way to engage people in the area one way or the other thus making them productive and engaged, while advising the lucky ones not to relent but strive hard to develop their talents.
He also expressed gratitude to our councilors who assisted us to disseminate the information as regards the empowerment that is taking place today.
One of the beneficiaries, Onya Chinemere, who graduated as a fashion designer, expressed her appreciation to the council and congratulates herself and other beneficiaries, while admonishing them to be passionate and be decisive in whatever they are doing and above all, utilize the talent so garnered from the training.
Also in her remark, Ebele Okonkwo, who participated in beverage making training for 8 weeks, recalled that she couldn’t believe herself having gone through her achievement and what she was able to learn during the training. “Let me tell you that in six weeks, we ve been able to learn how to produce custard, fruit drinks and beverages.
This is indeed unbelievable and marvelous to me. All that I could say is to express my kind appreciation to the council while I urge the beneficiaries to make use of the talents and also appeal to other local government council to emulate what Ojokoro LCDA is doing’, she said.
