75 Nasarawa residents receive N18.7m business grants

In a significant move to bolster livelihoods, 75 less-privileged individuals from Nigeria's Nasarawa North Senatorial District have received business grants totaling N18.7 million. The initiative, spearheaded by Dr. Kassim Muhammed-Kassim, Executive Chairman of the Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board (NSUBEB), aims to empower beneficiaries and stimulate economic growth at the grassroots level.

During the distribution event in Akwanga Local Government Area, Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule flagged off the disbursement, with each beneficiary receiving N250,000. Governor Sule commended Dr. Muhammed-Kassim's gesture, emphasizing its potential to strengthen small businesses and improve traders' access to capital. He expressed hope that the beneficiaries would grow their initial capital significantly.

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This is about the highest empowerment programme I have seen so far where each person benefited N250,000, so I sincerely want to thank Dr Kassim for such a wonderful gesture.

Dr. Muhammed-Kassim explained that the beneficiaries were personally unknown to him and were selected based on assessments of their potential to manage the funds prudently. He stressed that the grants were intended for starting businesses, not for political campaigns, and were not based on party affiliation. He shared his own success in selling clothes to schools in Ghana as an example of what could be achieved with determination and financial assistance.

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This gesture is designed to provide direct support to the less-privileged members of the society who do not have any means of livelihood to start up a business in order to cushion the effect of the prevailing economic challenges.

The NSUBEB chairman stated that the empowerment program is designed to provide direct support to those without a means of livelihood, helping them to cushion the effects of prevailing economic challenges. He urged recipients to invest the funds wisely to foster business growth and create greater prosperity for their families. Dr. Muhammed-Kassim also announced plans for another empowerment program, which will provide N50,000 each to 300 individuals from Wamba, Akwanga, and Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Areas.

Several beneficiaries, including Usman Mohammed, Peter Joe, and Ahmed Usuf, expressed their gratitude to Dr. Muhammed-Kassim for supporting the less-privileged in the region. They assured him that the funds would be used for their intended purpose, thereby justifying his efforts and potentially creating more opportunities for others across the state.

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I, therefore, want to appeal that every beneficiary should invest the funds wisely so that they can grow their businesses and create greater prosperity for their families.