The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has begun the empowerment of 340 women in Imo through its Micro Enterprise Enhancement Scheme (MEES).
The NDE Director-General, Dr. Nasir Argungu, while inaugurating the programme on Friday in Owerri, said it was organised for the empowerment of indigent women across the country.
Argungu, represented by the NDE coordinator in Imo, Mrs Ngozi Iheanacho, said that each of the beneficiaries would get an empowerment loan of N10,000.
He thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for the women-friendly initiatives of his administration.
Argungu also thanked NDE’s Department of Small Scale Enterprises (SSE) in Imo, led by Mrs Nonye Ohanu, for its proactiveness and drive for excellence.
“We are grateful to the Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government and the NDE’s SSE department for this humanitarian initiative.
“We assure the women that the NDE will never relent in carrying out its constitutional responsibility of empowering Nigerians through its various programs,” he said.
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Also the state governor, Sen. Hope Uzodinma, restated his administration’s commitment to poverty alleviation through healthy empowerment.
Uzodinma, who was represented by the state’s Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Mrs Love Ineh, assured the women that he would continue to cooperate with the Federal Government for the general good of Imo people.
“Ours is a prosperity government. This is why we will continue to key into people-friendly initiatives of the federal government for the overall good of our people,” he said.
On her part, the Special Adviser to the governor on Women Mobilisation, Mrs Josephine Nnoham, urged the beneficiaries to make wise use of the empowerment package.
She said that lean resources could be multiplied when wisely invested, adding that “little drops of water can make a mighty ocean”.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Maureen Ohanuba, from Oguta LGA, thanked the NDE for thinking of indigent women in the country and prayed for divine blessings on the Federal Government.
She promised to put the loan to good use so as to have something to give back to the society.
