As part of economic activities to mark the beginning of the New Year 2026, the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), under the directives of Governor Mai Mala Buni, has begun empowering 2,000 youths with dozens of tricycles and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) repair kits to boost employment and income generation and to fight poverty in the state.

The Executive Secretary of the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA, Mohammed Goje, on Monday in Damaturu, disclosed: “The beneficiaries of the empowerment programme comprise operators of tricycles, GSM handsets repairers, and other vulnerable groups across the state.

Besides the massive empowerment of youths, Goje added, “Other interventions this year are aimed at easing households’ food requirements by supporting hardworking youths and women in the informal sector of the local economy.

In a breakdown of the food distribution, the ES stated: “Each of the households is to receive a bag each of rice, assorted grains, and a carton of pasta to support their families, as the year 2026 commences.

Goje noted that to ensure transparency and equitable distribution of the food items, the beneficiaries were selected by the leaders of the tricycle operators’ unions and the GSM Repairers’ Associations (GSMRA) in the communities across the state.

The intervention marks the first humanitarian support activity of the year by the Buni administration, stating that this forms part of the state government’s broader social support and welfare programme, designed to reach over 50,000 households in each of the 17 Local Councils across all Local Government Areas of Yobe State.

Goje therefore congratulated them on the New Year and urged them to serve as good ambassadors of their communities, regardless of their economic backgrounds or political affiliations.

He also encouraged them to promote peace, cooperate with security agencies, and remain law-abiding by supporting community safety and the state’s sustainable development.

The New Year gesture of the Buni administration underscores an unwavering commitment to inclusive governance, social protection, and the welfare of vulnerable citizens, with renewed hope for future generations.