Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has disbursed N2,100,000 to 210 women selected across the 21 local government areas in the state to enhance their businesses.
Daily Sun gathered that ten women were picked from each local government areas and they were given N10,000 each to enable them to improve on their petty trading.
While speaking during the disbursement on Sunday, the Director-General of NDE, Dr Nasiru Mohammed Ladan, who was represented by the Kebbi State Director of the agency, Alhaji Abdullahi Danjuma Machika, explained that the scheme was designed to empower the women, especially the less privileged.
“The scheme is designed to empower the women and is targeted to meet the needs of the poor. It is important to note that the beneficiaries are drawn from the 21 local government areas of Kebbi State, [with] ten women per LGA.
“Today, we are empowering 210 women with the sum of N10,000 each. To this end, the total sum of two million, one hundred thousand only will be injected(N2,100,000) into Kebbi State economy.
“This will help enhance the businesses of these beneficiaries and make them self-reliant. I will like to seize this opportunity to appeal to the beneficiaries of the scheme to utilize the funds given to them judiciously.”
The Director-General appealed to the state government, LGAs, politicians and other eminent people in the state to collaborate with the agency to reduce the rate of unemployment among the youths in the state.
The Kebbi State Women Leader, Hajia Aisha Abubakar Gunebi, speaking on behalf of the women, commended the agency for the gesture and promised that the beneficiaries would utilize the money for the betterment of themselves and their families.
One of the beneficiaries, Hajia Fausat Adebiyi, in her remarks, eulogized the agency for the disbursement and assured that the money would be properly utilized as expected.
The ceremony was also attended by the wife of the House of Representative, representing Shanga, Yauri and Ngaski Federal Constituency, Hajia Maryam Yusuf Sununu, who advised the women not to misused the opportunity.