The Senator representing Plateau Central Senatorial District, Plateau State, Senator Diket Plang, has facilitated the empowerment of about 100 women from his constituency.
The empowerment scheme, which was held at the Holy Cross cathedral Gwolong Pankshin, Plateau State, was organised by the National Productivity Centre in conjunction with Ojidoe-Ligne Engineering Company Limited.
Beneficiaries were drawn from the five local governments constituencies including Bokkos, Mangu, Pankshin, Kanke and Kanam.
Speaking at the event, Senator Diket Plang, represented by Mr. Sebastian John, described “Senator Plang as a hardworking man that loves his constituency.
“A man that wipes the tears of his people. He is a man that is from the grassroot, from Councillor to Chairman and even House of Assembly level. He has held so many positions in the state, from adviser to several governors, to commissioner and so on.
“This man loves us so much and I can assure you that based on what he has told me, what he has promised to do for his constituents, he has not started. He is a person who wants to wipe the tears of the poor, which is why he has pleaded over what has happened to the five local governments affected ‘”
He recalled that in his interactions with the Senator, Senator Plang had assured him that being from the grassroot and having won the hearts of the people he cannot take his constituents for granted, which is why he had brought some relief to his people.
He charged the people not to be offended if the Senator sometimes fails to pick their calls due to his busy schedules and also charged them not to sell off whatever they get.
“We have heard it said, that we, from the Plateau, once we get any forms of empowerment, we sell them off, it is not good. Even if you do not have children or younger ones to give to, you can put them on hire, so selling them off is not good at all,” he emphasised.
Also speaking on behalf of one of the organisers, Ojidoe-Ligne Engineering Company Limited, Newton Anderson said ” We empowered about 100 women from five local governments, in Plateau North Central”
He stated that the idea was to empower women towards supporting in view of current economic realities.
In his words “The idea is to empower these women so that they will be able to start small scale businesses’
“While some got sowing machines, others got grinding (milling) machines and I think these will save them a lot in expenses as they learn to sew and grind both for themselves and their communities”. He added
Mr Anderson inferred that with “The situation that Nigeria is now, if you do not have anything doing, you will just keep consuming and that is the reason for this empowerment”
One of the beneficiaries, Chief Mrs Ruth Kwarsin, popularly known as Larai Mangar said “I really thank God and I appreciate the Senator for what he did for women today.
“I am a beneficiary and we pray that God grants him sound health for more to come again .He is indeed a leader and somebody that stands by his word, so we again say thank you”
She charged beneficiaries, not to sell off their wins, but rather used them as reward for their political participation.
“My advise to other beneficiaries is that they should not sell off the properties/machineries they acquired today, so that those that have been seeing you going out for campaigns and meetings will know your efforts are not in vain.These are some of the dividends of politics so take it home.”
