How Rt. Hon. Iwuanyanwu Empowered 120 Constituents

NJOKU MACDONALD OBINNA 

Following the persistent and growing rate of youth mass unemployment in the wake of the post COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, it has become a very worrisome phenomenon in Nigeria and constitutes a problem not only for the youths themselves but also to the overall social, political and economic structures of the country; with greater emphasis on Nwangele LGA and Imo State.

By critically examining the  pitiable socioeconomic wellbeing of an average Nigerian youth and the attendant challenges, it indicates that there is no genuine efforts or concrete attempts by present and successive government(s) to connect, organise and improve the dynamism of its youths towards self independence and economic sufficiency for national development, it was gathered.

Regrettably, unemployed youths have been forced to embrace poverty and begging as a way of life while those who could not bear further the excruciating experience of unemployment have resorted to all forms of social vices like kidnapping, prostitution, insurgency, political thuggery, internet fraud (Yahoo-Yahoo) and armed robbery as a lot made themselves willing tools for electoral violence by politicians during elections.

It is from the above backdrop that the member representing Nwangele Constituency, who also doubles as Deputy Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Amara Chyna Iwuanyanwu, being guided by the economic principles of the founder of Taoism and Chinese Philosopher, Lao Tzu, who postulated that “Teaching a man how to fish is better than giving him a fish”;  facilitated and sponsored 120 members of his Constituency for the CBN|NIRSAL Micro Finance Bank training loan scheme for Agric -Business| Small and Medium Enterprises Investment through Capacity Care Foundation.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) introduces this stimulus package  worth billions of Naira to support households and small and medium scale businesses to boost their economy in the post -COVID -19 pandemic experience using a number of  agencies like NIRSAL.

NIRSAL: An acrimony for Nigeria Incentive -Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending was launched in 2011 and incorporated in 2013 by the CBN as a dynamic , holistic USD500 Million Private -Public Initiative to catalyse the flow of finance and investments into fixed agricultural value chains.

As part of his tireless efforts and avowed commitment to fulfil  electoral promises by ensuring that mass of the members of his Nwangele Constituency are empowered through technical and entrepreneurial skills acquisition, loan grant for small and medium scale  businesses, human capital development and related empowerment programmes, Rt. Hon. Amara Iwuanyanwu proactively reached out to NIRSAL Micro Finance Bank; a CBN licensed institution offering loans for multiple purposes in Nigeria.

This laudable concerted effort  culminated into a two day intensive training of about 120 participants at Nwangele Council Hall last weekend; Friday and Saturday, August 7 -8, 2020, as Gomax Nigeria Limited ; a  CBN|NIRSAL accredited and approved Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) under the management of Chief Marcel Odunze, proficiently took the participants on a number of modules for start -ups and business developments adopting SWOT-Analysis as a business method.

A two-day intensive certified entrepreneurial training on,  keeping proper financial records; accountability; engaging dutiful and experienced workforce and acquiring the technical know-how to manage a business; which prepares and qualifies the participants to access between N1m to N10 Million each person with 7 years spread of pay back with neither a guarantor nor collateral as Rt. Hon. Amara Iwuanyanwu ebulliently offset all the bills and costs of the training running into millions of Naira. Another form of empowerment that must be honestly commended by rationale and reasonable homo sapiens as he set the pace in Imo State amongst his honourable members, who are yet to grapple the technicality the egghead state lawmaker adopted to attract CBN assisted Micro Finance Bank to train members of his constituency.

Rt. Hon. Amara Iwuanyanwu, who was received by members of the  Interim Management Committee Chairman for Nwangele LGA ably led by Hon. Cosmos Iwuagwu;  attended the event alongside the retinue of his colourful entourage which also had Hon. Kanayo Onyemachi representing Owerri West Constituency at the Imo State House of Assembly.

Elated Imo Deputy Speaker, Amara Iwuanyanwu, commended the participants for their good conduct during the training and assured them that he would do everything humanly possible within his reach and capacity to ensure as many as lucky beneficiaries access the loans after the training. He also saluted the resilience of the organisers and members of Capacity Care Foundation for a good job well done.

The IMC Chairman, Cosmos Iwuagwu, speaking with immediately after the programme, expressed joy that this laudable economic empowerment programme was happening under his watch.  

Hon. Kanayo Onyemaechi strongly admonished the participants and Nwangele electorate to follow their lawmaker addressing him as a State Legislator “who knows the way” and has the capacity to attract the much expected dividends of democracy to his Constituency. 

A number of the elated lucky participants, who spoke during the interview session after receiving their certificates of training, were hopeful that they would be among the qualified intakes to access this stimulus package of the CBN through NIRSAL Agric -Business |Small And Medium Enterprises Scheme loan.

Njoku Macdonald Obinna as a development advocacy news reporter and publisher recommends further establishment of Micro Finance institutions to serve the grassroots financial needs, sensitization of the general public on how to access funds for SMEs development, encouraging Public -Private Partnership (PPP) as the financial muscle of these institutions must be geared towards meeting the financial needs of small and medium scale  enterprises in their respect locality.

Rt. Hon. Amara Iwuanyanwu is genuinely working in synergy with the Government to implement the Shared Prosperity Mantra of the Senator Hope Uzodinma led Administration.

– Njoku Macdonald ObinnaMedia Consultant, PR-Expert & Publisher, 4thestatereporters.com