First Mega Empowerment:Rep Member,Hon Olabinjo Empowers Constituents With 177 Sewing Machines,130 Generators,Cash and Other ltems.

Emmanuel lkpeama 

The member of the House of Representatives, representing Ifako ljaye federal constituency of Lagos State,Hon Benjamin Adeyemi Olabinjo,on Saturday December 7,2024 empowered his constituent with 177 Sewing Machines,130 Generators,110 Hair Dryers for salon operators,164 Grinding Machines for food vendors and entrepreneurs and one Ambulance for emergency services in its first Mega Empowerment program.

The event which took place at the African Church Primary School, Ifako Ijaiye, Lagos State attracted the likes of the State Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi,the LGA chairmen of lfako ljaye and Ojokoro LCDA,APC Chieftains, former chairmen and lawmakers of the party, women, youths, members of the Christian and Muslim community, pupils and students, artisans among others.

Investigator news reports that cash support of ₦100,000 each were given to 300 beneficiaries.(NGN 30,000,000) Thirty million naira and BAO Cooperatives for community development were given NGN 10,000,000 (Ten million naira) for donations.

Also,300 youths were given N10,000 each, totalling N30,000,000, for their businesses,Community Development Areas (CDAs) in the area were given N5 million for development purposes, while Secondary schools in the area were not left out as they were equipped with tables and lockers,note books were donated to the students, and materials for sporting activities such as table tennis, and football donated to the schools.

It was also revealed that some Christians in the constituency would be sponsored to Jerusalem in Israel in 2025 for pilgrimage.

In his welcome address,Hon BAO while distributing the items to youths, women and  artisans in the constituency, said the gesture was aimed at supporting and empowering the people who need it most, as part of his campaign promises.

The lawmaker implored the beneficiaries to use the items for the purpose it was meant for, assuring that other physical projects would be executed in all the wards of the constituency.

BAO went further to  say that when he got the items, he handed them over to the party leaders in the constituency for distribution among the constituents, adding that only about 20% of the items was given to him to give out directly, while thanking the leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ifako-Ijaiye for the distribution of the items.

“Just one year and eight months in office, we have embarked on various initiatives such as infrastructure development to improve the living standard of our constituents. We have successfully advocated for the rehabilitation of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and facilitated the provision of solar street lights in various communities”

“My  empowerment programme is a sure way of remembering my people and to say thank you for the mandate given to me to represent you”

“On social welfare, we have implemented programmes to alleviate the impact of economic hardship with the provision of financial assistance to community development initiative and distributed essential items to vulnerable groups.

“We have also organised various acquisition programmes including block making, shoe making, food processing and digital sale to empower our constituents.Additionally, we have provided financial support for small businesses through bond program and facilitated access to credit.

“Today, we are taking this commitment further by distributing various empowerment items, including generating sets, grinding machines, blower dryers, sewing machines, cash support, school furnitures, education materials, fertilizer and sports equipment for children,also provided fully equipped ambulance for the use of the constituents,” he said.

The State Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, Lagos State,Hon Ojelabi Cornelius commended Hon Olabinjo for his first BAO Mega Empowerment Programme, calling it the first of its kind in Ifako Ijaiye.

“We promised that if you vote for our party, we will bring dividends of democracy to you and I am glad that you fulfilled you own promises by casting your votes for the APC and sincerely, I thank you for having trust in us.

“Today, we are here to fulfill another leg of the promise. This is the first in the series of the empowerment programme. I just want to advise the beneficiaries to make the best use of the empowerment equipments.”

Hon Ojelabi then urged the beneficiaries not to sell the equipments, but to ensure that they put them into use in order to eliminate poverty, according to him,they would be attracting curses by selling the items, adding that this would not encourage Hon. Olabinjo and the leaders of the party to do more in the future.

A beneficiary of the empowerment programme Mrs Yetunde Adeyemi thanked the lawmaker for the gesture, describing him “as a man of the people, who has come to uplifts the lives of his constituents.”

Another beneficiary Mrs Aminat Balogun who got a grinding machine, promised to use the item judiciously while thanking our distinguished representative and I pray that God continues to be with him.”she said.

Investigator news gathered that the BAO Empowerment Programme was established to uplift school children, youths, market women, artisans, community and traditional leaders, and party members by providing vocational training, resources, and financial support.

This initiative aims to equip residents and indigenes of the Ifako Ijaiye Federal Constituency with the tools and knowledge to build sustainable businesses and enterprises.

The programme’s success was evident with an impressive turnout and a wide array of empowerment items distributed to beneficiaries.