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From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar
The Senator representing Cross River South Senatorial District and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, has distributed minibuses, tricycles, and cash gifts of N100,000 to residents of Cross River.
Senator Ekpenyong, while distributing the vehicles, said the empowerment aims to complement the development efforts of President Bola Tinubu and Governor Bassey Otu in enhancing the economic well-being of Nigerians.
“What we are doing is just to complement the efforts and the wonderful works of His Excellency, Bola Tinubu, and our dear Governor, Senator Prince Bassey Otu.
“Today, we are here to train our young men and women in skills acquisition, give grants for start-ups, and empower our people with capital items, from minibuses to keke napep,” he said.
He explained that the items were sourced through federal agencies at the national level and urged beneficiaries not to sell them.
Ekpenyong added that the empowerment programme would be sustained and called on residents to continue supporting the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
Director of Commercial and Industrialisation at the NDDC, Linda Okara, said 150 minibuses and 200 keke napep were distributed, adding that the initiative was a collaborative effort with Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, who chairs the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs.
Speaking on the method used to select the beneficiaries, she said “This is done by stakeholders so that it does not look like we are imposing people, but that these names are brought forward from the grassroots,” she said.
The NDDC State Director in Cross River, Daniel Ajunwa, said the intervention was part of efforts to engage youths, reduce unemployment, and curb criminality.
One of the beneficiaries, Arit Nyong, thanked the lawmaker for fulfilling his campaign promises, noting that the empowerment initiative was a call to self-reliance.
