The Delta State Government has launched a N5 billion grassroots empowerment initiative aimed at providing financial assistance to 100,000 small business operators and other beneficiaries across the state’s 500 wards.
The programme will provide N50,000 to each beneficiary, with ward councillors expected to coordinate its implementation to ensure that the intervention reaches communities across the state.
The Executive Assistant to the Governor on Public Enlightenment, Projects and Policies, Mr Olisa Ifeajika, disclosed this while addressing journalists in Asaba, explaining that the initiative was designed to complement the government’s infrastructure projects with direct financial support for residents.
According to Ifeajika, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori believes that improving the welfare of citizens requires not only the provision of public infrastructure but also interventions that directly address their economic needs.
He said the administration recognised that while roads, bridges, schools and healthcare facilities remained essential to development, residents also needed financial assistance to sustain their livelihoods.
“Having provided critical infrastructure across the state, the governor realised that the people are yearning for something more that touches their lives directly,” Ifeajika said.
“He understands that, as much as the people need airports, flyovers and roads, they also need some money in their pockets.”
Ifeajika explained that the governor had directed councillors across the state’s 500 wards to empower at least 200 people each, bringing the projected number of beneficiaries to 100,000.
At N50,000 per beneficiary, the proposed coverage translates to a total expenditure of N5 billion.
He said the initiative was expected to support small-scale entrepreneurs in sustaining and expanding their businesses, while providing some relief to households and their dependants.
The governor’s aide added that the programme reflected the administration’s intention to combine physical development projects with interventions that directly affect the economic well-being of residents.
He further indicated that the government planned to introduce additional empowerment programmes in the coming months and years as part of its broader development agenda.
“The lives of Deltans matter to the governor. He tells us that all the time, and he describes himself as the servant of everybody,” he said.
Ifeajika urged residents to continue supporting the state government, saying the administration remained committed to pursuing infrastructure development alongside programmes intended to improve livelihoods and widen economic opportunities across Delta State.
