A number one former governorship aspirant of All Progressives Congress(APC) in Kwara State, Ambassador Yahaya Seriki, on the weekend in Ilorin doled out over N4billion empowerment bundle to help the residents of the state forward of 2027 normal elections.
Seriki, a founder and Managing Director of Kursi Investments Limited, Abuja mentioned that, “the empowerment programme is also meant to ensure the re-election of President Ahmned Bola Tinubu and vice president, Kashim Shettima in 2027 elections in Kwara State”.
Seriki disclosed this in Ilorin whereas unveiling the empowerment bundle titled, “Yahaya Seriki Empowerment and Enterprise Colloquium” held in Ilorin, the state capital.
The bundle includes N1bn in money and about N3.2bn price of kit and different gadgets, together with 150 autos, fashionable stitching machines and others.
He mentioned that, the empowerment bundle was designed to assist beneficiaries enhance their livelihoods and obtain financial independence.
He mentioned the programme was motivated by his need to give again to society and create alternatives for individuals to make progress by way of completely different technique of livelihood.
“The purpose of this empowerment is to help people progress in their own way. All I am doing is giving back to the society that brought me this far,” he mentioned.
“When God blesses you and you have enough, failing to make other people smile means you are poor in spirit. Making other people happy is something I strongly believe in and enjoy doing.”
He mentioned he believed that people who had attained monetary success ought to use their assets to enhance the lives of others and supply alternatives for individuals who wanted help.
On the 2027 elections, the APC guber aspirant declared his help for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima, describing the President’s insurance policies as crucial for Nigeria’s growth.
“This empowerment programme is in help of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I imagine we’ve by no means had it this good within the historical past of Nigeria.
“We have a President who believes in building a better country and changing the narrative for the better,” he mentioned.
Seriki urged Nigerians, significantly younger individuals, to help Tinubu’s second-term ambition, insisting that the nation ought to rally behind the President.
Also talking on the occasion, the senator representing Kwara Central senatorial district on the Upper House and now the PDP senatorial candidate for 2027, Senator Saliu Mustapha lauded the humanitarian gestures of Ambassador Seriki for the teeming plenty of the state.
He mentioned, “My brother, Ambassador Yahaya Seriki-Gambari, at the moment demonstrated but once more his outstanding dedication to humanity by way of a one-of-its-kind empowerment programme, throughout which he distributed autos, instruments and gear for artisans, and different precious gadgets price billions of naira.
“This is actually not his first intervention of this magnitude, and I sincerely hope and pray that it’ll not be his final.
“For me, that is significantly heartwarming as a result of it displays a philosophy of service that I’ve persistently believed in and practised through the years, first by way of the Saliu Mustapha Foundation and now underneath the auspices of my workplace because the Senator representing the Kwara Central Senatorial District.
“Time and once more, I’ve challenged my principal rival within the forthcoming senatorial election to level to only one tangible, enduring contribution he made to infrastructure or human capital growth earlier than assuming public workplace.
“Something verifiable, one thing impactful, one thing that has stood the check of time. Till at the moment, neither he nor his supporters have supplied a convincing reply to that problem.
“And therein lies the elemental distinction between those that have invested their private assets, time and power in uplifting individuals and communities lengthy earlier than looking for public workplace, and people whose declare to public relevance started solely after political energy was handed to them on a platter.
“More typically than not, the distinction in these backgrounds turns into much more evident within the high quality of management and the outcomes they ship whereas in workplace.
“Once again, I heartily congratulate my brother, Ambassador Abdulfatai Yahaya Seriki-Gambari, on this remarkable milestone of generosity and service to humanity”.
Senator Mustapha added, “To all the beneficiaries, there is a clear thin line between luck and opportunity. I urge you to make the most of these opportunities, put the items received to productive use, improve your livelihoods, and contribute meaningfully to the development of our society”.
A Human Rights activist, Mr.. Deji Adeyanju in his remarks urged younger Nigerians to embrace self-discipline, endurance and delayed gratification, stressing that monetary help needs to be used responsibly.
He warned that spending cash meant for enterprise growth on costly telephones and different luxurious gadgets might undermine beneficiaries’ monetary future.
Nigerian clothier and founding father of Vodi Group, Seyi Vodi, in his remarks on the occasion mentioned that, offering vocational instruments and gear was a extra sustainable type of empowerment than distributing money with out correct evaluation of beneficiaries.
“The best form of grant is empowerment through skill acquisition tools. You don’t just give people grants or empowerment without first doing due diligence. You don’t pluck money from a tree. Money doesn’t come easily,” he mentioned.
Recounting his entrepreneurial journey, Vodi mentioned his first month-to-month allowance as a National Youth Service Corps member was N3,600, which he used to begin a small buying and selling enterprise.
He recalled travelling to Aba market to buy boxers, which he resold to fellow corps members at a revenue, including that the expertise taught him to establish enterprise alternatives and reinvest obtainable assets.
The clothier mentioned it took him greater than 26 years of arduous work, self-discipline and gradual enterprise enlargement to attain his present stage of success.
“For my business, we grew step by step. It took me almost 26 years and more to get here,” he mentioned.
Vodi urged beneficiaries to make investments empowerment funds and gear in productive ventures quite than spending them on luxurious gadgets, warning that poor monetary selections might undermine their prospects of constructing sustainable companies.
“You have to be prudent. You need money to scale up your business. A beneficiary who receives an industrial machine can multiply it in the coming years if they are prudent,” he mentioned.
Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe additionally described the empowerment initiative as a possibility to help the progress and growth of Kwara State, expressing confidence within the capability of such interventions to enhance individuals’s livelihoods.
