'Sometimes He Forgets We Are Still In The Garage' - Social Media Users Reacts To Ortom's Alleged 5,000 Youth Empowerment Program

Just when the media was struggling to get over the wheelbarrow  empowerment program for Benue youths, which the governor has since distant himself from, blaming the action on his overzealous aide. He strikes again.


 Earlier this week , there was a program organized by the Benue state government to empower some youths in various skills acquisition which at the end of the program, 20,000 persons were empowered with  hundred million (N100,000,000), by calculation every youth was to go home with five thousand naira only. The statement reads;

"ORTOM EMPOWERS 20,000 BENUE YOUTHS, WOMEN 

Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom this afternoon at IBB square, Makurdi announced the release of N100,000,000 to enable 20,000 youths and women of the state who have completed training in various agro and allied industrial skills begin life as entrepreneurs. 

Governor Ortom said he has approved the funds under a micro credit facility but at zero interest rate for the beneficiaries.

He assured the beneficiaries that his administration would do more to support them. 

The training was organized by the Benue State Government in collaboration with Centre for Youths and Women Skills Acquisition (CYWSA) he added."

However, some social media critique took to different platforms to  share the hundred million by twenty thousand people , which means every individual was to take home 5,000, and queried such an empowerment program, asking what business one intends to run with just five thousand naira with the current hike n prices of goods.. See their reactions and the rejoinder below by the governor's aide, Terver Akase ..

''N100 MILLION FOR COOPERATIVES NOT INDIVIDUAL YOUTHS 

For the youths and women who have completed the training organized for them by the Benue State Government, the real empowerment is the training not the money. The youths who benefitted from the training can now produce different items for commercial purposes. For them, this is priceless. Next, the state government will help them to acquire loans from financial institutions to be able to stand on their own. 

All of us know the importance of knowledge in human capital development. Knowledge brings wealth. The Benue State Government may not have enough funds to give to all its youths to start business but what the government does not lack in stock is the capacity to create opportunities and links for youths of the state to grow. 

A society which pays premium on training of its youths in vocations is surely on the march to greatness. 

One important point to note is that the N100,000,000 released by the Benue State Government for youths of the state who have just completed skill acquisition training will not be given to individual beneficiaries. The funds will be given to them in clusters as cooperative societies in each of the 23 local government areas to enable them access greater financial facilities from Bank of Agriculture and other institutions for their empowerment. The beneficiaries have already formed the cooperatives and are ready for the funds. So the issue of N5,000 per beneficiary as insinuated in some quarters does not arise.''