…He understands Nigeria better than some politicians – Bauchi State Governor
BY AGENCY REPORTER
The Aliko Dangote Foundation has doled out a whooping N4.2billion as part of its unconditional micro-grant programme for empowering women in the rural areas across the country. The Foundation has reached over four hundred thousand women with the touch of kindness.
During the flag-off of its one-off unconditional micro-grants programmes, Tuesday, in Bauchi, Chairman, the Aliko Dangote Foundation, Aliko Dangote, empowered twenty thousand vulnerable women across the 20 Local Government Areas of the state.
He was represented at the event by the company’s Group Executive Director Government and Strategic Relations, Mansur Ahmed, and disclosed that so far over four hundred thousand poor women have benefited from the programme in the country.
He said that in Bauchi State, N200 million was being disbursed to vulnerable women across the 20 Local Government Areas.
Dangote, reputed as, Africa’s top philanthropist, said, that the unconditional micro-grant was aimed at supporting the government’s efforts in empowering poor families in the State.
He said that the ADF had earmarked N10 billion to be disbursed to vulnerable women across the 774 Local Government Areas in the
country.
Other states that had benefitted from the scheme included, Lagos, Kano, Jigawa, Kogi, Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Niger, Nasarawa, Sokoto, Katsina and Kwara.
The next states to benefit from the programme, from information made
available by the Foundation, are, Osun, Edo, Ogun, Rivers, Anambra and Ebonyi, respectively.
“The micro-grants programme is one component of the Economic Empowerment pillars of the ADF. It provides disadvantaged and vulnerable women with a one-off, unconditional N10,000.00 cash transfer to boost their household income generation.
This, we believe will help reduce their vulnerability and meet their livelihood needs,” he added.
He noted that it was gratifying that the majority of women who benefitted from the scheme had been able to grow the seed capital.
While thanking the Aliko Dangote Foundation for coming to assist the vulnerable women in Bauchi State, the Governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Muhammad added that he was very elated with the ADF’s intervention across the country and especially in his state.
The governor expressed optimism that the intervention would support lives and livelihoods of women, children and families in Bauchi State.
He said, “Aliko Dangote is a beacon of hope for the Bauchi people. He has been creating not only business institutions at the highest levels but also touching lives at the lowest level. He seems to understand Nigeria more than some of us who are politicians. He’s supporting our mothers who will help put food on our tables and train their children in schools.
“We’ve just named the school of Nursing and Midwifery after him. This is to mark his huge contribution to our societies in Bauchi.
“We are also using this opportunity to inform him that he should come and invest in Bauchi. We have the highest deposit of limestone in the country. We have the largest arable land and the largest forest. Bauchi is also very peaceful and secured.”
The Governor also presented a book to the ADF.
The book, titled, ‘The Principle of Leadership’ was written over a 100 years ago by Sheik Uthman Danfodio.
Also the Speaker, Bauchi State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Abubakar Y. Suleiman, described the intervention as huge. He said, it would go a long way in supporting the poverty alleviation strides of the state government.
He said the state would continue to collaborate with relevant stakeholders in the area of economic empowerment of womenfolk.
The First Lady and wife to the Governor, Aisha Bala Muhammad, said the intervention would help lift families from economic problems, even as she urged the women to invest it wisely.
One of the beneficiaries, Amina Musa, 50, said she would start a micro business and use the profit to support her family.
Another beneficiary, Jumai Rabiu, 47, described the intervention as huge and timely, adding that she would use the money judiciously. She expressed the hope that she would grow to employ others too.
