In a show of endless love for his constituents, a federal lawmaker from Oyo state has put smiles on the faces of his people in what his party described as exceptional. BAYO AGBOOLA reports.
It was jubilation galore for women and the youths from across the Ibadan North Federal Constituency in Oyo state as the lawmaker representing the constituency at the House of Representatives, Honourable Musiliu Olaide Akinremi empowered over 250 people he earlier trained in various vocations especially on turning cassava to money courtesy the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan.
Precisely on Sunday, April 25, all roads led to the Teachers House Samonda, Ibadan venue of the empowerment programme put forward by the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Science Research Institutes, Hon Musliudeen Olaide Akinremi for his constituency. Although, the event was fixed for 2pm that dsy, by 1:15 pm, the venue was filled to capacity with beneficiaries who were mostly women and youths numbering about 250 were singing, dancing in and around the hall in appreciation of the gesture of Honourable Akinremi. The beneficiaries were later joined at the venue by All the Progressives Congress (APC) leaders from the Ibadan North Federal Constituency including APC chairperson in Ibadan North local government, Mrs Tinu Adigun and Chiefs Sina Alabi and Kayode Adanla. By 2:00pm, the grand finale of the empowerment finally kicked off with the arrival of Honourable Akinremi with his team.
The beneficiaries, mostly women, were selected from Ibadan North Federal Constituency and were trained by a team of experts from the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIRO) in Lagos. At the training, the techno-entrepreneurship training and empowerment was focused on using cassava flour for production of bread and confectionery, high quality cassava flour, cassava starch and odourless fufu as well as training them on how to mix wheat and cassava flour for food production. They were also trained on how to give economic empowerment that would sustain financial independence through enterprise creation and development, especially in terms of improving the shelf life of cassava through value addition.
His motivation
Speaking at the presentation of certificates and supportive funds to the about 250 beneficiaries, Honourable Akinremi left no one in doubt about his commitment, passion and love for his constituents particularly in eliminating poverty from among the women and youths in and across Ibadan North Federal Constituency. The lawmaker minced no words in emphasizing that it is among the expected roles of elected political office holders to bring succour into the constituency in terms of empowerments capable of making life worth living and sustainable for them.
The chairman House of Representatives Committee on Science Research Institutes stressed among other things that giving motorcycles, clippers and grinding machines as a form of empowerment is not the best way for politicians to empower their constituents, hence the need to start thinking outside the box saying, “The best way to allow constituents feel the impact of their representatives is to equip them with vocational training and skills which would make them financially independent as empowering constituents with motorcycles, clippers, grinding machines and other materials things are not enough and fast becoming out of fashion hence the need to be looking towards by developing women and youths as one of the ways to address the growing insecurity and unemployment in the country. “Giving people motorcycles, clippers and grinding machines is not enough to empower constituents. Give them scholarships and give them training. Empowerment is about assisting people and equip them with what they do no have and to make them financially independent and come out of poverty. That is why I said that our people should change their mentality. People are used to giving them motorcycles, clippers and grinding machines. If I give 1,000 motorcycles today, it is not everybody that would see it. if I give them clippers, how much is clipper? If you give people money, they can spend it anyhow, they may not use it for the purpose you are giving them, but if you give people training, nobody would collect it from them.”
Honourable Akinremi added, “Since I became Ibadan North Federal Constituency representatives in 2019, I have purchased JAMB forms for 1, 045 students. Training of people on how to make money is one of the best ways I am talking about. It is better than giving people money. People can spend the money anyhow, they may not even take the money home, especially men, they may spend it on beers, women, lottery or any other things, but if you give them training, nobody would collect it from them. I am more interested in developing women and youth capacity. As we know, our women have a lot of jobs to do, you find them in the markets. What I know is that most of our women helped their husbands at home, so because of this, when you empower women, it is like you empower the whole family. I will tell you that what we are giving to these women today, if you give it to men, they may take it to the beer parlour, he may use it to eat or take it to Baba Ijebu. The children and the wife at home may not even benefit from them. But, these people, we have trained, we also give them money to start the business. Definitely, the children and the husband and entire family would benefit from them.”
APC leaders laud move
One of the APC leaders in Ibadan North that graced the graduation and presentation of certificates ceremony, Kayode Adanla was full of encomium on the lawmaker for what he called his endless love for his constituency and the people in the federal constituency. According to Chief Adanla, “Honourable Olaide Akinremi stands among the best representatives so far produced by the constituency. I can boldly tell you that we have been producing many federal lawmakers from this Ibadan North Federal Constituency. Without mincing words, Honourable Olaide Akinremi Jagaban stands to be the best so far.”
Another APC chieftain at the programme, Chief Sina Alabi said the empowerment programme clearly showed that Honourable Akinremi is for the masses and at all times ready to assist them. The former chairman of Oyo State Transport Corporation, (TCTC) charged the beneficiaries of the empowerment to make good use of the opportunity aimed at establishing and sustaining them in fending for their selves.
All those that spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries lauded Honourable Akinremi for deeming it fit to give back to his constituency especially the women and the youths from across Ibadan North Federal Constituency.
