No fewer than 600 persons have benefited from another empowerment programme facilitated by the lawmaker representing Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency at the National Assembly, Gboluga Dele Ikengboju.
The entrepreneurship programme was organised in Ilutitun Town Hall, Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State, at the weekend, as grants for 400 individuals to start up their small-scale businesses.
The empowerment came a few weeks after 200 women were empowered with N100,000 cash each by the lawmaker. It will be recalled that the lawmaker facilitated the upgrade and expansion of Ilutitun Comprehensive Health Centre, which began last week.
According to Ikengboju, the empowerment was part of his 2020 constituency project under the supervision of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN).
He said each beneficiary was selected randomly across Ikaleland and got between N50,000 and N450,000 cash depending on the category of business.
The lawmaker explained that he had chosen cash empowerment after due consultation with his constituents, adding that he was sure that it would have direct impact on them.
He implored them to use the resources judiciously for the purpose it was meant for, assuring that apart from the ongoing ones, other physical projects would be executed soon.
One of the beneficiaries from Irele LGA, Mr Adewole Olapade, expressed delight at what he described as an “outstanding and impactful project.” Olapade, who got N450,000, said it would help him begin a profitable business.
Another beneficiary from Ilutitun, Mr Balogun Olakunle, who got N400,000, said that there couldn’t have been a better way to alleviate people’s suffering at the grassroots than such empowerment programme.