The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has trained 500 youths in financial prudence and business management while also distributing 150 minibuses and 200 tricycles to beneficiaries in Cross River State as part of its empowerment programmes.
The programmes, which took place in Calabar, were targeted at youths and residents in the Cross River South Senatorial District to support entrepreneurship, job creation and economic growth in the state.
The intervention agency said the initiative was designed to equip beneficiaries with practical vocational knowledge, business management skills and empowerment support that would help them become self-reliant.
Speaking during the Skills Acquisition and Capacity Enhancement Programme in Calabar, the Managing Director of the NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, said the programme aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Ogbuku, who was represented by the NDDC Director of Commercial and Industrial Development, Mrs Lyna Okara, said the empowerment initiative was beyond distributing vehicles and grants.
“This empowerment programme is not just about giving out vehicles and grants; it is about creating opportunities, restoring hope and enabling the people to build better futures for themselves and their families,” he said.
According to him, the commission had continued to execute projects across Cross River State aimed at reducing unemployment, alleviating poverty and boosting economic activities in local communities.
The NDDC Executive Director, Projects, Dr Victor Antai, also said the commission had fulfilled its promise to the people through the empowerment scheme.
Represented by the Director of the NDDC Cross River State Office, Dr Daniel Ajunwa, Antai urged beneficiaries to use the opportunity to improve their livelihoods and support others around them.
He also called on residents to support the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Federal Government, noting that the administration made it possible for the commission to sponsor the skills training and empowerment programme.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on NDDC, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, who spoke during the distribution of the minibuses and tricycles at the U.J. Esuene Sports Stadium in Calabar, said more efforts would be made to create jobs and improve living conditions in the constituency.
Ekpenyong advised beneficiaries to make good use of the training, grants and vehicles provided under the programme.
He urged recipients of the minibuses and tricycles to maintain the vehicles properly to ensure the sustainability of the empowerment initiative.
One of the stakeholders in the state, Edet Bassey, described the programme as timely and impactful, while commending the NDDC for the intervention.
He called on the commission to sustain similar programmes across communities in the Niger Delta region.
As part of the programme, another set of 500 youths received training on financial discipline, business management and entrepreneurship before being supported with take-off grants to help them establish small businesses.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries of the skills acquisition programme, Mr Solomon Olatunji thanked the NDDC for the opportunity and promised that beneficiaries would make proper use of the training and support provided.
One of the beneficiaries of the tricycle distribution, Essien Ufiok, also expressed gratitude to the commission and pledged to use the tricycle to improve his source of income and support his family.
Similarly, Arit Akpo, who received a minibus, thanked President Bola Tinubu, the NDDC and Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong for the empowerment support.
She said the vehicle would help improve her business and livelihood.
The latest empowerment programme has, however, generated reactions among some Cross River residents, with some stakeholders arguing that the intervention belonged to the NDDC and should not be seen as the project of any single political office holder.
Some residents insisted that the programme was meant for the wider Cross River public and should be implemented in a way that reflects fairness and equal access across the state.
