200 Beneficiaries Emerge As Rep. Onuigbo Flags Off Empowerment Scheme (Photos)

In a bid to curb unemployment in his constituency the Honourable member representing Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency of Abia State, Hon. Sam Onuigbo on Thursday flagged off empowerment scheme for the people of the constituency in a bid to reduce the level of unemployment.

The empowerment scheme is in collaboration with National Institute for Cultural Orientation, NICO.

The five-day Strategic Training/Empowerment is for unemployed youths and unskilled women in Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency and beyond.

At the flag off exercise which had in attendance 200 participants at Kolping Society World Bank housing estate Umuahia, the federal lawmaker who was represented by Evangelist Abraham Osondu said the exercise is in continuation of fulfilment of his promise which he made during his first term in office.

He said, “it’s part of his continuous empowerment to his constituents, a promise he made during his first term, and has continued with that promise in his second term.

“It is about empowering people through self-employment because that’s the way forward for Nigeria, it’s no longer a question of I am a graduate you are writing an application for jobs.

“We are trying to get people to look for ways they can establish themselves and be able to have regular income rather than asking or begging people to give them money”.

He further revealed that Hon. Sam Onuigbo has done series of empowerment programmes which include, fishing, poultry farming and other kinds of skills acquisitions in the area of tailoring, fashion designing and other things.

He added, “We have always provided trainees with equipment, skills and then stipends to support that because obviously startup capital is very essential if you are going to empower people. You don’t just train them and send them away empty handed.

“So we expect this will be accompanied by a package, the National Institutes for Cultural Orientation, NICO essentially has got a package, obviously during closing ceremony they will be saying what that package is, it will be a combination of equipment and of course the skills they’ve acquired and cash to get them start up”.

One of the participants, Mr Atuowu Chidiebube Joshua said “majorly this first day training is centered on fish farming, in the course of the training we were told the factors affecting fish production in Nigeria. As a farmer and what you have to do to make sure that you keep your farm going and also some of the bad practices that farmers do that affect the fish farm and the best practices that you have to do.”

The beneficiaries expressed Hon. Onuigbo for his kind gesture in enhancing the living standard of the people by granting them access to economic opportunities.