The Minister of State, Police Affairs, Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim has empowered no fewer than 500 women of Nasarawa State origin with grinding and sewing machines in order to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal and to make them self-reliant.
During the distribution on Tuesday, in the Keffi Local Government Area of the state, the minister said the gesture was in line with President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s desire to boost the small and medium-scale enterprises in the country.
While urging the beneficiaries to make good use of the machines, Suleiman-Ibrahim who is also an indigene of the state, appealed to all residents to continue to give the needed support to the Tinubu administration to enable him to serve them better.
“President Bola Tinubu is determined to lift many Nigerians out of poverty, and the people of Nasarawa State will not be left out. By the grace of God, we will continue to enjoy the dividends of democracy throughout his tenure.
“The aim of distributing these machines today is to ensure that you all are self-reliant so that you can also contribute meaningfully to the growth of society.
“This is just the beginning. More empowerment programmes will be held across the state in due time. Please do not sell the machines. They should be used for the benefit of your families and the society”, she added.
On their parts, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, and the Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Zephaniah Jisalo, both commended their counterpart for carrying out the empowerment programme for her people.
They urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the machines to encourage the State Police Affairs Minister to do more for them.
One of the beneficiaries who spoke on behalf of the others, Hassana Lawal, thanked the minister for the empowerment programme while expressing optimism that the grinding and sewing machines would help to improve their standards of living.
