Empowering the less privileged, a dream come through – NSE

The Non-Stop Empowerment (NSE) and Girls Education Initiative held its first empowerment/graduation and award ceremony recently. ENE OSANG reports that over 2000 women and youths were trained on skills and are being supported into setting up a business.

Since 2015 when this administration took over the mantle of leadership, emphasis has been laid on skills acquisition and entrepreneurship. This, it is said would reduce the over dependence of the citizenry on government as well as grow the economy.

It is to this end that the Non-Stop Empowerment and Girls Education Initiative embarked on a massive training, mentorship and capacity building for mostly women, girls and youths in general.

Its Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Aisha-Nse Adamu, said graduating over 2000 participants of its empowerment program was a dream come through.

According to Nse, “the programme was geard by the passion to help humanity. We have both  men and women who we empower, my passion is on women empowerment but I extended that to the men as well because a lot of them need to be empowered as well.”

“It is a dream come through for me because when we started the training it looks like the day for graduation will never come,” she said.

The CEO noted the need for entrepreneurship, saying this will boost the economy of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as its residents will become self reliant to cater to their needs.

“We have trained people in different vocational skills including ICT and computer, fashion and designing, catering and events management, shoe making, agriculture and many others.

“Over 2000 graduated and we are giving some of them equipments, we also intend to give them soft loans because we are working with SMEDAN on that and hopefully very soon we will get the loans for them a free interest loan whereby we will be paying the interest,” she assured.

“We have also trained over 50 disabled across all our centres in Apo, Gwagwa, Karu and Iddo sarki” she added.

The Chairman of the occasion, former governor of Niger state Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, lauded the program saying it is very timely as it empowers the FCT citizens by giving them the opportunity to take care of their needs instead of being dependent.

He urged Nigerians to always take advantage of such opportunity irrespective of any political, ethnic or religious differences, adding that self empowerment is very needful.

“Don’t fight each other because of party or ethnic differences. When election takes place partisanship should stop so that those elected can perform well.

“We can see how Phillip Aduda allowed the Chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) to operate irrespective of the party differences, that is how leadership should be. We must not allow our differences to stop us from doing the work that would better the country, “ he stressed.

Earlier, the Special Guest of honour and Senator representing the FCT Senator Phillip Aduda, also stressed the importance of engaging women and youth meaningfully, saying this would keep their minds away from vices.

Senator Aduda further advised beneficiaries of the empowerment program to immediately begin to utilize the skills they have learnt, adding also that they should not sell any equipment given to them as they may never find such opportunity easy again.

“I urge you all not to sell any of the items given to you but rather put the skills you have learnt to judicious uses, and I assure you that I will partner the NGO to see that you become self reliant,” he said.

According to him, empowerment programs of such brings progress to the FCT, adding that it gives sense of belonging to the people.

“We have discovered that we don’t have to depend on only on oil for survival because many other lucrative businesses are available and we must tap into it.

“I believe that giving the necessary environment Nigerian women and youths will thrive and if we all put heads together Nigeria will be a better place for us all,” he said.

The Special Advicer (SA) to the AMAC Chairman Jubril Mohammed Babangoshi said the AMAC supports programs such as the NSe, adding that the present leadership of AMAC is passionate about stopping insecurity and creating jobs for the residents.

“During our campaign we promised the Abuja residents that we will do something different. There are no white collar jobs and youths are roaming the streets of Abuja but when we see an NGO passionate about caring for the less privileged especially this at the grassroots we support.

“Non-stop empowerment came on board and has been doing well and that is why we have partnered with them to reach the grassroots in the FCT, “ he said.

The Executive Director of NSE said those empowered are not only the indigenes of the FCT but residents from all states in Abuja.

“We have empowered about 2000 women in AMAC from different states, tribes and religion and it has not been easy, that is why we call on well meaning Nigerians to support this project and take people of the streets.

“So far we have spent 50 million in the past one year catering for these people and if individuals, cooperate organizations and government support the poor like this Nigeria will be a better place,” she said.

One of the beneficiaries by name Sunday Asuquo John, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to benefit from the program, saying he enrolled into the Agriculture section and he can produce exportable items like tomato paste, custard powder, presavation of vegetables among others.

He appealed to the Bank of Industry to assist them with loans so they can begin production so the skills learnt won’t be a waste.

It is worthy to note that the Founder and CEO of NSE was a supervisory councilor for health sometime in 2004 in AMAC, and I later the supervisory councilor of works following her performance in health.

“While serving in this capacity I brought many innovations, lots of initiatives and I was able to initiate a programme called ‘’operation dirty de kill’’ where we employed the rural women to sweep the markets within AMAC which at that time were so dirty.

“We carried out that project in the council successfully because it was self-sustaining. The women were sweeping and the youths were also employed to collect revenue for the services and you know Nigerians are always ready to pay for quality services so, they paid the tokens happily and we were able to pay the women and youths.

Nothing would have stopped me from doing the usual carrying of files in the office but one has to think outside the box when given opportunity to serve because it is a privilege and not a right because so many people also want   to be in that same position,” she maintained.

“I  am a business woman; I’m into construction, designs, I’m a caterer, a mother, infact I do lots of things. I started the empowerment programme for graasroot people with my own money, I wanted to do something  small but at a point many people became interested and so a lot of them both men, women and youths started applying  and I couldn’t send them away but carry them along as a mother.

They are so many in number now and this point it is choking us seriously and thats how we began asking for support from spirited individuals, cooperate organisation to support just like the AMAC Chairman has been so helpful,” she added.

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