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From TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
The Andoni Local Government Council of Rivers State has disbursed N5 million business grants to 50 persons living with disabilities in the area.
Chairman of the council, Erastus Awortu, made a N100,000 disbursement to each of the beneficiaries at Ngo, the council’s headquarters.
He said the money was take-off grants for the beneficiaries, after a four-day, council-sponsored training and certification, as Mobile Money Agents referred to as POS Agents.
The chairman also noted that the exercise represented part of his administration’s ongoing support scheme for small businesses, focusing on poverty eradication in the area.
He said: “This phase of our business support scheme is targeted at persons living with disabilities (PWD), unbiasedly drawn from the 11 Wards of Andoni.
“They are now certified POS Agents, having had requisite knowledge after their training by resource persons in that field.
“N100,000 and a POS Machine were also handed over to each of the beneficiaries, to enable them start off the business.”
According to him, various small-scale enterprises such as; the Oyorokoto Fish Traders, Sea food farmers and Cassava farmers, were among beneficiaries of the programme since its inception in 2021.
He, therefore, urged beneficiaries to make good use of the business opportunity, so as to promote self among persons living with disabilities.
Meanwhile, some of the beneficiaries have commended the council chairman and his team for bringing succour to the community of persons with disabilities in the area.
One of them (PWD), Mr. Oke Dominic, of Ward 1, said that the gesture would go a long way in reducing poverty and hunger ravaging his household as a result of his unemployment.
Another beneficiary, Mr. Awajioniro Nte, of Ward 6 Andoni, also described the gesture as a huge business empowerment that had taken him out of overdependence on other people.
