The All Progressives Congress (APC) led administration in Kwara State intensified efforts at implementing programmes and policies that will further endear the party to the vast majority of the people of the state especially with the 2023 general elections insight.
While the opposition elements in the state attack the personality of the state governor, AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq, he, on the other hand, has concentrated on implementing programmes targeted at improving the economic status of the people of the state, especially the vulnerable youths and women, some pundits argue.
Between April and now, the AbdulRazaq administration has churned out empowerment programmes that benefit no fewer than 31,125 women and youths in the state.
The governor started the women/youths empowerment programmes with the enrollment of 1,025 persons into the public work programme under COVID-19 Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG- CARES) scheme.
The beneficiaries of the NG-CARES scheme would work for four hours a day in 20 days in a month and would draw N10,000 monthly stipend each.
And just last Wednesday, the State Executive Council (SEC) approved N658 million for disbursement to 3,000 female traders across the 193 wards in the state to help them grow their businesses.
Not done yet, two days later (Friday) the governor personally supervised the disbursement of a N100 million grant to selected youth entrepreneurs to aid the growth of their businesses. Each entrepreneur got one million naira grant at the colourful ceremony held at the Government Banquet Hall, Ilorin, the state capital.
Political observers are of the opinion that the injection of N758 million into the state’s economy will bring prosperity not only to the direct beneficiaries of the various empowerment schemes, but to their dependents and the general public.
An APC stalwart, Hon. AbdulMumin Katibi said the governor has done so well to deserve a re-election come 2023. He applauded the youth and women empowerment initiatives of the governor.
“The governor through his well thought out empowerment programmes, focusing on the vulnerable youths and women, has won the hearts of the electorate, the vast majority of whom are youths and women ahead of the 2023 general elections.”
But whether that translates into votes is another matter.
However, speaking during the disbursement of a N100 million grant to businesses owned by 100 young people in the state, Governor AbdulRazaq said youth inclusion and productive engagement are key to a sustainable future.
The one million naira grant is funded through Kwapreneur 2.0, a programme specifically designed to support businesses owned by young people and funded through the Kwara State Social Investment Programme (KWASSIP).
Last year, the scheme gave 170 young people an interest-free loan ranging from N250,000 to N3m.
Justifying the initiative, AbdulRazaq said nowhere in the world is the conversation around the future of young people more important and urgent than in sub-Saharan Africa where up to 70 percent of the population are below the age of 30.
The governor said the country must seize every opportunity to engage its growing young population.
“This is an opportunity for growth and prosperity. But it could also be a threat to stability, peace, and security on the continent if not managed. This is why we must not lose the conversation around inclusion, growth, quality engagement and empowerment of young people. For this reason, I align myself with the theme of this gathering, which is Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating A World for All Ages,” he said.
“Our administration has a reputation for listening to, engaging and empowering young people in very practical terms. Many of our projects, programmes, and policy direction have been conceived to benefit especially young people. The innovation hub, visual arts centre, film factory, garment factory, the huge investments in tech-driven basic education, and road projects linking farmlands to city centres are good examples of this.
“Today’s launch of Kwapreneur 2.0 is another example. No fewer than 100 young people will get a grant of One Million Naira each to support their businesses. Not only will this keep them away from violent crimes and protect them from predatory politics; it is another way of strengthening small and medium scale businesses with multiplying effects on the local economy and living standards of the people.
“Kwapreneur 1.0 has been a huge success, with at least 75% of recipient businesses thriving and expanding. The repayment rate of roughly 50% is also encouraging and can be better. I urge all the beneficiaries of Kwapreneur 2.0 to make judicious use of it.”
Acting director general of KWASSIP, AbdulQuawiy Olododo said beneficiaries were drawn from a pool of those who had applied for Kwapreneur 1.0 and nominations from artisan groups, community organisations, and youth groups, among others.
On the N658m empowerment programme for women, the state commissioner for Communication, Bode Towoju said the scheme is a social investment measure modelled after a World Bank initiative.
Towoju added “in a presentation to the council on Wednesday, secretary to the Kwara State Government Prof. Mamman Saba Jubril said the programme would be implemented under the Kwara State Social Investment Programme while beneficiaries would cut across the 16 local government areas of the state.
For efficiency, transparency and easy disbursement to all the 193 wards in the state, Jubril said the government will partner with MTN Nigeria (Mobile Money, MoMo) Service provider which has over 5000 payment agents.
The council meeting was chaired by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq who said the administration remains committed to the plight of the downtrodden, including deepening financial inclusion.
KWASSIP, the implementing agency, has carried out similar social safety programme, including Owo Isowo, Owo Arugbo, and Kwapreneur which have benefitted over 100,000 people in the last two years alone.
A recent social impact assessment report on KWASSIP showed no less than 90% of the beneficiaries affirming the programme to be of huge impact to them, according to Social Innovation and Research Institute and Northeast Humanitarian Innovation Hub.
A military research group had earlier in March, 2022 made similar conclusions on the state’s social safety programme, saying the KWASSIP could lift at least 50,000 people out of extreme poverty within the next five years.
However, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, has described the N658m empowerment programme for Kwara women as vote buying tactics by the APC government in the state.
The PDP’s spokesman,Prince Tunji Moronfoye, in a statement queried the rationale behind such huge disbursement few months to the next general elections.
“This is a desperate attempt at vote buying in preparation for the 2023 general elections. We at the PDP wonder why such huge funds are not focused on agriculture, which is the mainstay of a majority of Kwar State population, where such funds would have yielded better empowerment results for the state.
“Was this N658m for the proposed initiative inserted in the (2022) budget”? the PDP spokesman asked rhetorically.
The PDP’s position was echoed by perceived supporters of the party in a popular WhatsApp platform, thenationalpilottrend, when they were responding to the N658m empowerment programme for Kwara women as reported by LEADERSHIP in its Thursday 11, 2022 edition.
The question on the lips of those that reacted to LEADERSHIP’s story is : “Is this N658m captured in the 2022 budget?”
By the foregoing, there is no doubt that the latest empowerment programmes of the APC- led government aimed at making life abundant for the people of the state, especially the women and youths that constitute the bulk of the voting populace, has unsettled the opposition.
