by crossriverwatch admin
Professor Ben Ayade, the Senator representing the Northern Senatorial District of Cross River State on Tuesday kept to his word to give take off grant to some members of his constituency to assist them start or expand existing businesses.
Handing over the cheques of N200,000 (two hundred thousand Naira) to fifty people drawn from the five local government areas of the north that constitute the senatorial district, Dr Stephen Odey, the Personal Assistant to the Senator said the empowerment is in two phases.
“When forms for this empowerment came out, over one thousand and five people applied and today my boss has released the sum of 25 million naira to give as grant to those who have undergone training at the CBN Entrepreneurial Development Center in Calabar. N200,000 will be given to each of the fifty people who graduated from the entrepreneurial training while all those who applied but were not admitted into the training will also be taken care of from the balance of the money”.
Dr Odey who gave a rundown of all the projects executed by Senator Ayade in the past two years which include building palaces for Paramount Ruler of Yala, Oganode Onah Ipuole and Ogamode Eje Ipuole, payment of WAEC registration fees for three hundred students in both private and public schools, free health services and food bank for the less privileged said Ayade is poised to do more and called for patience and more support for him.
He advised the beneficiaries of the grant to judiciously and effectively apply the knowledge and money they have received to ensure that their businesses thrive. “What Senator wants to see is people from this area doing good businesses and such businesses becoming big because ninety percent of the businesses in this Senatorial District are run by Igbo, Yoruba and other non indigenes, so do not use this money for burial and other non relevant matters.”
Mr. Declan Ogar, a PDP stalwart and former Chairman of Yala Local Government Area said the efforts of Senator Ayade in improving the lives of the people of the senatorial district is commendable and urged the people to accord him more support. “We have had other Senators and representatives in the past and we saw nothing from them so the effort of this young man should be commended”.
Mr. Emeka Nnamani, the CBN representative and coordinator of the Entrepreneurial Development Center said the eighteen months CBN intervention program is still on and that the beneficiaries of the Ayade grant stand to get access 5 million Naira if they complete their business plans and ensure their businesses do well.
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