Seventy-five less-privileged residents of Nasarawa North Senatorial District have received N18.7m in business grants aimed at helping them establish and expand small-scale businesses.
The Punch reported that the empowerment initiative was facilitated by the Executive Chairman of the Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr Kassim Muhammed-Kassim.
Governor Abdullahi Sule, who formally launched the distribution on Saturday in Akwanga Local Government Area, said the intervention would boost access to capital for small businesses and promote economic development at the grassroots.
Sule commended the SUBEB chairman for supporting members of the community and urged the beneficiaries to invest the funds wisely by venturing into petty businesses.
The governor expressed hope that each beneficiary would turn the N250,000 received into a much larger investment.
“This is about the highest empowerment programme I have seen so far where each person benefited N250,000, so I sincerely want to thank Dr Kassim for such a wonderful gesture,” he said.
Speaking at the event, Muhammed-Kassim said he had no personal relationship with the beneficiaries, noting that they were selected based on assessments of people considered capable of using the funds responsibly.
He urged them to channel the money into businesses, stressing that the intervention was not politically motivated and that party affiliation played no role in the selection process.
The SUBEB chairman disclosed that the funds were generated from proceeds from his clothing business, which involved supplying clothes to schools in Ghana.
He said his experience in the business convinced him that the beneficiaries could also succeed if they applied the financial support effectively.
“This gesture is designed to provide direct support to the less-privileged members of the society who do not have any means of livelihood to start up a business in order to cushion the effect of the prevailing economic challenges.
“I, therefore, want to appeal that every beneficiary should invest the funds wisely so that they can grow their businesses and create greater prosperity for their families,” he said.
Muhammed-Kassim also announced plans for another empowerment programme, saying 300 people from Wamba, Akwanga and Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Areas would each receive N50,000.
Some beneficiaries, including Usman Mohammed, Peter Joe and Ahmed Usuf, thanked the SUBEB chairman for supporting people in need.
They pledged to use the grants for their intended purpose, saying the intervention would help them establish sustainable sources of income and create better opportunities for other disadvantaged residents.
