Senator Adeola In Massive Empowerment Of Constituents

MICHAEL AKINOLA

The lawmaker representing Lagos West Senatorial District and Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Solomon Adeola (Yayi), has empowered over 3,500 constituents in collaboration with the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) in continuation of his promise to ensure that his constituents benefit from the dividends of democracy.

The event, which took place on Sunday 3rd October, 2021, at Vantage Point, 12A Acme Road, Ikeja, Lagos, drew a large crowd of beneficiaries, their families and deluge of Senator Adeola’s supporters.

After the National Anthem and opening prayers, the DG of Senator Adeola’s Constituency office made a few remarks and took time to introduce the dignitaries, who had gathered from across the Lagos West Senatorial District.

The Director General of SMEDAN, ably represented by Mr. Kayode Shode (South West Director), highlighted the importance of the training and empowerment to the economy and commended the lawmaker, Senator Adeola, for collaborating with the agency to lift constituents.

The Chief Host, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, in his remarks said, “It is said that the man who gives his neighbour fish has done well, after all, it is a show of love; but the one who teaches his neighbour how to fish has done better. It is in the light of this that I decided, as your representative in the Senate, to invest in the economic viability of as many as possible constituents in the largest senatorial district, Lagos West”. 

“You will all recall that this is not this first time we are doing this. Earlier in the year, we had similar programme at Nigeria Police College Ground, Ikeja. Yes, it is a commitment to the promise made to you and we shall continue to keep faith with our words. Without doubts, there are better days ahead.”

“In this series of today, 3500 constituents are benefitting across all LGAs/LCDAs of Lagos West Senatorial District. These include the 700 constituents/participants who have successfully completed a 10-day Skills Acquisition Training as well as others who underwent 5-Day Entrepreneurship Training.  The participants were paid transport allowance during the training and at the end of their training last month are now to be given equipment and cash to practise and earn income for the various skills they had acquired.”

 Let me reiterate that all local governments in Lagos West are beneficiary from this training programme which focuses on different vocations after a need assessment selection process.  The successfully trained constituents acquired skills in makeup artistry, phone repairs, paint making, hair dressing, barbing, confectionery and fashion design and will get their equipment and start-up grants today while some other beneficiaries will receive grants to grow their businesses.

Let me also inform that earlier, precisely a week today, hundreds of farmers were empowered with improved varieties of seedlings made up of plantain suckers, maize, melon, pumpkin seed and cassava stems. We had also facilitated the training of hundreds of constituents in fish production and the participants had been empowered with fingerlings, fish feeds, fish tanks and cash grants to run their fish production business.”

“With Lagos West Senatorial District accounting for over half of the over 20 million population of Lagos mega city, there is no doubt that developing its massive human resources in area of education and skills acquisition will go a long way in improving the economic outlook of its mostly poor inhabitants. We must be deliberate in leveraging on the potentials that the economy of the state offers to change some narratives.  And to effectively do this, human resource development through skill acquisition that would lead to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) is the way to go in the face of dwindling job prospects and slow economic growth.  I remain committed to the empowerment of my constituents in this regard, with training, equipment and start-up capital, as we are witnessing today. This is to ultimately position them to make meaningful contributions to economic development of our constituency, state and nation.”

“My dear constituents, apart from empowerment of thousands, as we are gathered here to do today, I have also facilitated the construction of over fifteen (15) roads, with culverts and drainages and solar street lights across Lagos West Senatorial District under the 2021 Appropriation.  As your representative in the Red Chamber, I have also fully performed the role of a legislator in law making so far. I have sponsored thirteen (13) bills out of which three (3) have been passed successfully while others are at various stages of legislative passage.  This feat has ranked me among the top 10 Senators in terms of bill sponsorship in the 109-membership of Red Chamber. This I shall continue to do.”

“The promise I made to you is that of commitment to your welfare, the promise I made to you is that effective representation, the promise I made to you is that of identifying with you and alleviating your sufferings by improving on amenities. I remain committed to fulfilling these and many other promises as I boldly confirm to you that there are better days ahead” Senator Adeola said.  

The Distinguished lawmaker also gave hint of a bigger round of empowerment to come up in the days ahead before the end of the year. He explained that it is good to construct roads but representatives must ensure they build the people, which is why he is training and empowering his constituents.

He mentioned that several projects are ongoing at different levels across the Senatorial District and in the coming weeks he is embarking on distribution of text books across the various schools, renovation of Primary Health Centres, equipping of about 10 hospitals, provision of electricity transformers and construction of about 15 roads.

Aside commending the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for the good works he is doing across the state, he encouraged the people about the need to build up support for the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, towards the 2023 Presidency.

The Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (Lagos West), Chief Funsho Ologunde, the Executive Chairman of Alimosho Local Government, Hon. Sulaimon Jelili, his counterpart in Egbe Idimu, the Oshodi Council boss, represented by his Vice, Hon. Badmos Aregbe and other dignitaries present, while commending Senator Adeola for robust representation by reaching out to constituents, charged the beneficiaries to utilise the opportunity the empowerment provided to lift themselves and people around them thereby helping the economy of the state and Nigeria at large. They advised them not sell the equipment and tools or waste the startup grants on frivolities in order not to defeat the aim of the empowerment.

Speaking to our correspondent, Chief Kayode Odunaro, aide to Senator Adeola, who came from FCT, Abuja, said that the Distinguished Senator decided to focus on skills acquisition because it has ripple effects in the economy as soon as the participant is empowered. He also disclosed that the beneficiaries were selected based on need assessment after they had picked and submitted forms to the Constituency office devoid of political considerations as the lawmaker represents everyone living or doing business within the Lagos West Senatorial not minding political affiliations.

One of the great minds behind the training of the participants and an instructor, Josephine Owuye, spoke highly of Senator Adeola while charging other representatives to copy his style and lift their constituents. She said that she is now the Founder of Double Grace Development Initiative having received similar training and empowerment and building on different fronts from then. She prayed for God’s continued guidance, blessing and protection on Senator Adeola while positing that the effect of the exercise will begin to affect the economy in the days ahead.

Echoing Owuye’s points, one of the people who had benefitted from her and are now instructors, Ogbonnah Uzoamaka, said Senator Adeola, by empowering the beneficiaries, has lifted more than 3,000 families across Lagos West and he must be commended.

One of the beneficiaries, Salami Surajudeen, thanked the Almighty Allah for the opportunity provided by Senator Adeola for him to train and empower them. He said he has already started reaping from the training and has equally taught his wife some of the things he had learnt during the training programme.

Another beneficiary, Comrade Sandra Chukwu, was full of gratitude for the skills acquired during the training programme. She said she had graduated from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, without securing a job. She expressed her appreciation and prayed God’s blessing on the distinguished lawmaker, Senator Adeola, as she has acquired requisite skills in all manner of hair treatment and care. And being empowered with the required equipment today, she will excel beyond measures.

High points of the event were the sharing of testimonies by beneficiaries, presentation of the equipment and startup kits, photo session with the Chief Host, and handing over of the startup grants (Oko-wo Yayi) to respective beneficiaries by Senator Adeola ably assisted by Chief Ologunde and other dignitaries.