By, MOHAMMED KAWU, Bauchi
The Kaura Economic Empowerment Programme (KEEP) in Bauchi has since it took-off sometimes last year economically empowered no fewer than 8, 000 persons with free N1.2 billion in cash or kind in the sixteen out of the twenty local government areas in the state.
Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed said that these were in addition to the distribution of 1,000 tricycles (Keke NAPEP) to the erstwhile commercial motorcycle riders, popularly referred to as ‘Okada Riders’ as revolving loan so that upon repayment other people would also benefit from the programme.
Launching the programme in the fifteenth and sixteenth local government areas of Ningi and Warji in the headquarters of the two areas weekend, the governor recalled that a total of 154 buses have also been procured and distributed during the formal launching to members of the public also as revolving loan.
To this end, it was learnt, the programme launching would be replicated in Bauchi with the free N75, 000, 000 in cash or kind, or even more having been the headquarters of the state with population concentration.
Governor Bala explained that under the programme, an average of seventy-five million Naira (N75,000,000:00) in both cash and kind has been distributed to some selected beneficiaries in each of the sixteen Local Government Areas where the programme has so far been launched.
Selected beneficiaries are being provided starter packs and N50,000 cash for each 500 persons per Local Government, and the provision of three motor-cycles in each of the wards of the 20 Local Governments, with Ward PDP Chairmen, Ward Coordinators and Ward Youth leaders as beneficiaries.
Others, the governor further enumerated, are the provision of N100,000 cash to women leaders and youth leaders in each of the 20 Local Governments, provision of five buses to each of the 20 Local Government councils in the state.
According to him, the state government under his leadership palaces high premium on empowerment through job creation as a testimony of its commitment towards poverty alleviation, hence the putting in place the Bauchi State Microfinance Institution Building Programme (MIFIN) to complement KEEP with a view to develop and strengthen Microfinance Institutions and establish linkages among the institutions and other financial institutions to create a viable and sustainable microfinance system.
“The programme is all about making the people of Bauchi state self-reliant by providing them the wherewithal and conducive environment to be economically productive, as it was designed to boost economic activities in order to address problem of unemployment and alleviative poverty among the people, especially the vibrant youth and women”.
The ultimate goal, the governor said, is to enhance access of the poor to financial services so as to boost the productivity of micro and small scale enterprises thereby reducing poverty, while KEEP has its main objective of encouragement and support to the people to engage in various entrepreneurship.
The Governor reiterated his appeal to beneficiaries of the economic empowerment programme to properly managing the cash and items given to them to boost their economic status and assist others who may not have access to the largesse, assuring that government will continue to explore more ways and means of poverty alleviation.
Senator Bala Mohammed therefore reassured the people of the state that his administration would not relent in its effort to the upliftment of their socio-economic wellbeing, in spite of the paucity of resources being accrued to its coffers.
