FG empowers 5,000 Rivers women, youths with N750m

The Federal Government has disclosed that it empowered no fewer than 5,000 women and youths with N750 million in Rivers State, saying women should be given more empowerment opportunities as they are good managers of resources.

Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, said this at the Women and Youth Empowerment Programme in Rivers State by the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) and Minister of State for Labour and Employment.

He said, “5,000 persons will be given loans of between N100, 000 to N5m without interest. What it means is that both male and female will receive the money to do business. Out of the 5,000 beneficiaries, let’s give 3,000 women, because they are good managers.

“I didn’t say it is a free loan, I said it is interest free loan. It means that you’ll pay back. We must see your business plan or proposal and we must see how it works and know whether we will be able to recover the money. Why we say no interest is so that you’re not put under pressure.

The minister expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for the initiative of empowering Rivers people with business loans and vocational skills acquisition.

“We are grateful to the Minister of State for Labour, Festu Keyamo (SAN), the Director General of NDE and the President. They have told me they are bringing N750m to Rivers State,” he said.

Speaking at the event, Keyamo said the greatest employment was self- employment and expressed the President’s passion to empower Nigerians, particularly the very poor through the scheme.

“This is one of the very many programmes through which the President has given us marching orders to ensure that millions of people are lifted out of poverty every year.

“The first question the President asks when any memo comes to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) is how many jobs will this create for Nigerians? That is how concerned the President is about the people,” he added.

Also speaking, Director General of NDE, Dr. Nasir Mohammed Ladan said, “What we are doing today is only the beginning of what we will do in Rivers State. Our target is 25,000 people and we will achieve it.”