Akintunde urges Oyo empowerment beneficiaries not to sell kits
By Adejayan Gbenga
Senator Yunus Abiodun Akintunde has urged beneficiaries of the Federal Government’s empowerment programme in Oyo State not to sell the equipment distributed to them but use the items to establish businesses, achieve self-reliance and improve their livelihoods.
Akintunde gave the advice on Friday while speaking with journalists at the grand finale of the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS) training programme held at Kensington Adebutu Hall, University of Ibadan.
The senator said vocational training and empowerment initiatives could help reduce poverty, unemployment and insecurity by equipping participants with practical skills and the resources needed to earn a living independently. He added that extending such interventions across different sectors would create more employment opportunities and strengthen economic self-reliance.
He expressed confidence that the programme, which empowered 700 youths in Oyo State, would improve beneficiaries’ economic circumstances and contribute to reducing poverty in the state. According to him, the impact could extend beyond the immediate recipients if they established businesses and created jobs for others.
Akintunde illustrated the benefits of vocational training with the example of a woman he knew as a radio programme presenter in Ibadan who had completed the training in fashion design. He said her experience demonstrated how skills acquisition could enable people to diversify their income sources and explore new professional opportunities.
However, the senator warned beneficiaries against selling their empowerment kits and digital devices for immediate financial gains, noting that some recipients of similar interventions disposed of such items at very low prices instead of using them to build sustainable livelihoods. He urged the graduates to regard the equipment as an investment in their future, even when faced with financial difficulties.
“On most occasions, you give people support like this, and they sell it at peanuts,” he said, adding that productive use of the equipment could help beneficiaries generate income, establish businesses and gradually improve their living conditions. He also expressed optimism that the programme’s multiplier effect would benefit communities beyond the 700 direct recipients.
The 10-day NPRGS training programme, organised by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education, commenced on September 28 and ended on Friday with the graduation of 700 beneficiaries. Senior Special Assistant to the President on TVEE, Dr. Abiola Arogundade, said the initiative trained 30 participants in artificial intelligence and graphics design, 85 in makeup artistry and another 85 in fashion design, while 500 beneficiaries received digital devices to support their participation in the digital economy.
