Umahi releases N2bn for youth empowerment

Chijioke Agwu, Abakaliki

Ebonyi State Governor, Chief David Umahi, yesterday, announced that his administration has set aside a total of N2.6 billion SME fund for the empowerment of youths in the state.

Umahi, who made the disclosure during a statewide broadcast urged the youths of the state to organise themselves into cooperative and engage the government on how to benefit from the empowerment fund.

He dismissed speculation that his government was still hoarding some COVID-19 palliatives, saying that the palliatives had long been shared across the 13 council areas of the state.

He added that the remaining palliative were reserved for students of Ebonyi state university who had been on striking, noting that the palliatives have been handed over to them yesterday following resumption of academic activities in the school.

“You are aware that we spent billions buying palliative which we shared to you, polling unit by polling unit irrespective of political alliances.

“We reached over 600,000 Ebonyians including those in Lagos and Abuja, the little one left now is left for our Ebonyi State University Students who were not in session.

“School has resumed; they have started carrying their items, the only items left are being taken now by students and they are 50 bags of just 10kg rice, 200 bags of 20kg rice 1,500 cartons of tin tomatoes, 2000 gallons of oil, 2000 cartons of noodles and these items for the students put together is not up to what we gave to polling units.

“We do not have any palliatives unshared. We have gone ahead with both the state and Local government to make provision for the second phase of palliative slated for December for our people” he said.

He condemned the continuous destruction of government facilities by some youths and commended security agencies for showing great restraint even in the face of provocations

The governor assured that his administration would compensate all families whose loved ones were either injured or killed during the protest including the families of the security agents.