Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State has called on the people of the state to take advantage of the empowerment money of N20,000 being disbursed to them to engage in a sustainable business venture in order to increase their standard of living.
According to him, the most useful antidote to poverty is for a man to engage in an enterprise that would make him realise his potentials instead of relying on handouts from the rich and politicians.
A statement signed by the special adviser to the governor on media and publicity, Mohammed Bello, disclosed that the governor stated this on Sunday at Rabah and Binji local government areas while distributing the sum of N20,000 each to 1000 people, both male and female in every local government of the state.
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The program, bankrolled with N4 billion, was initiated by the Sokoto State Government to assist needy persons in order to improve their living conditions by engaging in small businesses.
Governor Tambuwal expressed dissatisfaction with the way some people in the state and other parts of the North have made begging a profession instead utilising the many opportunities available to them to be enterprising.
“Even Islam does not encourage idleness and dependency, both of which, unfortunately, has become the stock in trade of many people here,” the governor noted.
He charged them to take advantage of the money given to them so as to improve their businesses even as he promised that his administration would continue to bring out many policies that will empower the people in the state.
He added that his administration will not relent in giving priority to agriculture, health, education as well as effective service delivery in all sectors, reiterating that so far that various projects have been executed across the 23 local government areas of the state.
In order to address certain security challenges in parts of the state, the governor said the government is working tirelessly in collaboration with security agencies to protect the lives and properties of the people of the state.
He urged the people to always report any suspicious character to the security agents even as he admonished them to pray hard for the success of the present administration and sustenance of peace and stability in the state and country in general.
In his remarks, the deputy governor, Alhaji Munir Dan Iya thanked the governor for all the support and cooperation given to the ministry.
He charged the beneficiaries to utilise the money judiciously as the program targets 200,000 beneficiaries across the 23 local government.
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