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From Judex Okoro, Calabar
The board chairman of Nigeria Port Authority (NPA), Chief Akin Ricketts, has donated motorcycles, sewing machines, grinding machines, welding machines and wheelchairs to over 300 persons in the 13 council wards in Yakurr Local Government Area of Cross River State.
This is under the empowerment initiative of the NPA’s corporate social responsibility and social intervention scheme aimed at boosting the economic strength of young and unemployed people, widows, the disabled and physically challenged persons in the society.
Items donated included over 70 motorcycles, 50 sewing machines, 100 solar-powered streetlights, 20 wheelchairs for physically challenged persons, 50 grinding machines and five welding machines to beneficiaries across the 13 council wards in Yakur.
Speaking at the event, Ricketts said the empowerment was a deliberate approach on his part, to tap into NPA’s corporate social responsibility and social intervention scheme, a programmme designed to bridge the unemployment gap as well as enhance the ideals behind the federal government’s self employment/sustenance strategy.
According to him, this is the second edition even as he promises to continue to reach out to his people as part of dividends of democracy as well his commitment to impact on the community any time opprtunity comes up.
Also speaking, the managing firector of the NPA, Mohammed Bello-Koko, who was represented by NPA’s senior manager, procurement, Bob Emmanuel, enjoined the beneficiaries to be productive with the things they have received, assuring them of more empowerment in the future if this opportunity is well utilised.
He said the aim was to ensure that youths are meaningfully engaged as a means to eradicating unemployment, poverty and crime in the society.
Speaking on behlaf of the beneficiaries, Ubi Ubi, said: “This empowerment is coming at a time where political campaign has come and gone, and the NPA doesn’t want to be seen as empowering people for political campaigns and support.
Ubi, who got one of the grinding machines, commended NPA and the chairman for empowering the youths, women, physically challenged persons and the downtrodden in the society.
