Seventy-five less-privileged men and women from the Nasarawa North Senatorial District have received a total of N18.7 million in business grants to boost their livelihoods and support small-scale enterprises.
The empowerment programme was initiated by the Executive Chairman of the Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board (NSUBEB), Dr Kassim Muhammed-Kassim. Each beneficiary received N250,000.
Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, flagged off the distribution of the funds on Saturday in Akwanga Local Government Area. He described the initiative as one of the highest empowerment programmes he had seen, noting that it would strengthen small businesses, improve traders’ access to capital, and stimulate grassroots economic growth across the district.
Governor Sule commended Dr Kassim for the gesture of giving back to society and urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the funds by starting or expanding petty businesses. He expressed the hope that each recipient would grow the N250,000 grant into N250 million.
Speaking earlier, Dr Kassim explained that he did not know any of the beneficiaries personally. He said they were carefully selected based on assessments of those most likely to use the funds prudently. He emphasised that the grants were not intended for political campaigns and that selection was not based on party affiliation.
Dr Kassim further disclosed that the funds were raised from the proceeds of his clothing sales to schools in Ghana. He encouraged the beneficiaries to seize the opportunity, noting that if he could succeed through the same business model, they too could thrive with the financial support provided.
The programme targets residents of the Nasarawa North Senatorial District and forms part of broader efforts to promote self-reliance and economic inclusion at the grassroots level.