Niger council empowers 1,100 residents, inaugurates health, women’s centres

The Agaie Local Council of Niger State has empowered 1,100 residents, including widows, vulnerable households and youths, with business equipment to improve their livelihoods.

The items distributed included refrigerators, sewing machines, grinding machines, barbing kits and motorcycles.

Speaking at the distribution ceremony, the council chairman, Sayuti Ibrahim Halilu, said the initiative was aimed at helping beneficiaries earn incomes, build sustainable businesses and provide better support for their families.

He stressed that the goal was not simply to distribute equipment but to create opportunities for self-reliance and economic independence.

Halilu urged the beneficiaries to use the items responsibly, maintain them and put them to productive use as a foundation for lasting progress.

He said: “I encourage you to see this support as an opportunity to grow, not just as a one-time benefit.”

Meanwhile, the council inaugurated a community primary healthcare centre in the Ekobadegi area.

At the commissioning, Halilu said the project was another important step towards bringing essential healthcare services closer to residents, adding that access to basic healthcare was fundamental to a healthy and productive society.

“We want mothers, children, older persons and other residents to have better access to essential health services without unnecessary difficulty,” he said.

He urged the community to take ownership of the facility, protect it and work with the relevant health authorities to ensure its proper use and maintenance.

In a related development, the council also inaugurated the Governor Bago Women Multipurpose Centre.

Halilu described women as central to the strength of families and the progress of communities, noting that they were farmers, traders, entrepreneurs and community builders.

“Supporting women with opportunities for skills development, enterprise and participation is an investment in the future of Agaie,” he added.

Earlier, in separate goodwill messages, Dr Ahmed Adamu, Secretary of the Artisan Mobilisation Presidential Campaign Council, and other stakeholders from Agaie described the empowerment programme as unprecedented, saying it would contribute to the local government’s GDP.