Biola Azeez, Author at Tribune Online

In a determined effort to combat poverty and build a culture of self-reliance, a religious-based grassroots organization in Ilorin, Kwara state, has empowered 70 individuals with tools, equipment, and capital support worth N42 million. The empowerment initiative, organized by the Oluwole Foundation of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church, Ilorin district headquarters, focused on artisans, small-scale traders, and agro-entrepreneurs, with the provision of deep freezers, cutting machines, poultry support, and agricultural inputs to kick-start or expand their businesses. Chairman of the foundation, Pastor Ademola Popoola, said the project is designed, not just to provide relief, but to set beneficiaries on a path to sustainable business growth. “We’ve discovered that many Nigerians take opportunities like this for granted. But our goal is to help them realize they can build something meaningful, even with little”, he said. He said that beneficiaries are selected based on need, adding that each item distributed is tailored to their specific trade or business idea. “We interviewed them. A food vendor gets a freezer, a window fabricator gets a cutting machine, and poultry farmers get direct support. It’s not just random giving”, he said. Popoola also said that previous editions of the empowerment programme recorded about 70 per cent success, with several beneficiaries now running small but stable businesses. “We’re aiming to raise that success rate to 80 or 85 percent. If we keep empowering 70 people every year for the next decade, that’s 700 empowered Nigerians—each potentially lifting their family and others”, he said. However, he lamented that some recipients treat the empowerment support as a handout. “Unfortunately, a few see it as their share of ‘national cake.’ But like the Bible says, a lazy man will say there’s a lion outside just to avoid working. We are trying to change that mindset”, he said. This year’s edition also featured a motivational session led by a university lecturer, who once survived months without salary during a national crisis. Pastor Popoola said the speaker’s testimony was aimed at inspiring resilience among beneficiaries. “When people hear from someone who survived hard times and bounced back, they listen differently”, he said. The cleric also used the occasion to caution beneficiaries against mismanaging the support, urging them to avoid wasteful spending on parties or luxury items. Pastor Popoola also appealed to the government at all levels to partner with grassroots organizations to deepen the reach of such initiatives. He urged authorities to improve community-based security and expand access to healthcare. “Our population has outgrown our security architecture. We need more investment in community policing where people know each other and can secure their neighbourhoods”, he said. Also speaking, Provost of Orimolade Theological Institute, Pastor Tunde Ogunbiyi, who spoke on the topic, “Work and Earn It,” said hunger is a major driver of insecurity in the country. He encouraged the government to assign specific security roles to traditional rulers and support community policing. Pastor Ogunbiyi commended the Oluwole Foundation’s efforts and urged other privileged Nigerians and corporate bodies to support the less privileged and tackle poverty head-on. He advised the 70 beneficiaries to work hard, pray, and make wise use of the support given to improve their lives and contribute to society. “Government cannot do everything. If more individuals and organisations take this path, we’ll have a stronger, more self-reliant Nigeria”, he said. READ MORE FROM: NIGERIAN TRIBUNE