Usman Abubakar Babura
The Jigawa state government has said that it empowered a total of 51,600 youths and women on various skills and business that made them self-employed within the last two years under its economic empowerment programmes.
Governor Muhammad Badaru Abubaakr of the state this disclosed this yesterday at the launching of distribution of 27 vehicles to members of National association of Road Transport owners [NARTO] and distribution of cash prizes to winners of Cluster agriculture which held at the NYSC Orientation Camp Dutse.
He said that earlier the total of 5,174 youth and women were empowered while yesterday, 1,575 have been empowered yesterday as part of the efforts of his administration to reduce the menace of unemployment in the state.
He said in the face of serious economic challenges, with some states finding I difficult to meet their obligations , the era of government jobs being dished out on the plate of political expedience was over and must look inward to identify independent employment opportunities and creates an environment where self-sustainable was the watch ward.
‘’This afternoon we are launching seed to market rice value chain program that compliments every aspect of rice production cycle, under this scheme, planting , cultivation management sprayer service providers, harvesting , threshing and milling have all been incorporated in a intervention initiative that completes rice value chain full circle and will mechanize these manual processes to improve efficiency as well as create virile micro economic within the rice production hubs,’’ he pointed out.
Items distributed to the beneficiaries include, 100 rice and wheat thresher of 200kg per hour, 574 manual hand held rice multipurpose planter 300held rice and wheat harvesters and 27 commercial buses to NRTW and of 12 Toyota Hiace as well as 25 number Volkswagen Sharon among others.
Governor Badaru then called on the beneficiaries to use what were given to them judiciously and make prompt re-payment so that others program s can be rolled out to ensure program sustainability.
In his key note address, the state commissioner for Agriculture Alhaji Kabiru Ali said that the present administration of the stat e has demonstrated political will where it re ,positioned agriculture through increase of budgetary allocation from 32.9 billion in 2015 to #6.9 billion this year and established state technical committee with the governor as the chairman of the committee.
Earlier in his welcome address, the special adviser to the governor Alhaji Muahmmad Shehu Mujaddadi said the concept of youth and women economic empowerment was among the catalysts’ of the government.
