*Senator doles out empowerment packages, promises more productive engagement
By Victor Lewis
It was a torrent of accolades and tributes as youths, Local Govt. Councilors and leaders from across Delta Central Senatorial District converged at the PTI Conference Centre, Effurun on Sunday, July 6, to appraise President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Gov. Sheriff Oborevwori and Senator Ede Dafinone, for their sterling performances in the past two years.
Also, characteristic of the Distinguished Senator representing Delta Central, Senator Ede Dafinone has, for the umpteenth time, doled out several multi-million naira empowerment packages for hundreds of Delta Central youths just as he promised continuous productive engagement with his constituents.
The event which was put together by the Senator in collaboration with the office of the SSA to the Governor on Community Development, Chief Hope Ejiro, attracted youth leaders from the eight Local Government Areas of Delta Central Senatorial District of the State.
Addressing the beneficiaries of the empowerment programme, Senator Dafinone stated that the occasion was one of his regular engagements with his constituents, adding that it offered him the opportunity to reach to them and as much as possible, address the needs.
The Distinguished Senator informed that his office is widely opened to anyone who wishes to see him, urging the people to always interact with his office so that they can take advantage of any job openings amongst others.
“I call this program engagement because I need to engage with my people and my job is to provide service to my constituents.
“When this program together, it was not that about those who voted or didn’t vote, it’s about my constituents as my office is open to all.But to enter my office, you only need to say that you are from Delta Central, you are an Urhobo.
“And so today is about that engagement, so that those of you who have never met your senator or seen your senator can know that the door to his office is open, the door to his house is open, his phone line is open.
“One of the important engagement here today is for us in my office to identify as many groups that are here so that when opportunities come for employment and empowerment, we will make them available to the groups to share those opportunities across Delta Central to as many people as possible.
“There have been complaints in the past that slots for Delta Central are always idle, where governments will say that we need 100 recruits to the army or any other paramilitary, our Delta Central slots are always not filled”, he said.
In his remarks, the chairman of the Delta State Board of Internal Revenue Service, DBIRS, Hon. Solomon Ighrakpata, commended Senator Dafinone for his continuous empowerment and engagement of Delta Central youths and other constituents, adding that they should take advantage of the Senator’s accessibility and exploit every opportunity to better their lot.
Ighrakpata craved for unalloyed support of the Delta Central people to encourage the Senator do more for the entire Senatorial district.
“I am very excited to see that our senator, Sen Ede Dafinone has deemed it fit to bring together youth in Delta Central and empower them in one form or the other.
“And after listening to his speech that his doors are always open to those of you who are lucky to come from Delta Central, it is a thing that we need to applaud.
“Let us keep supporting them, because the more they grow the better for us and I am appealing to those of you that are being empowered never to sell whatever you are given but make judicious use of them”, he advised.
Also in attendance were the APC chieftain and chairman of the Delta State Board of Internal Revenue Service, Hon. Solomon Ighrakpata and the Executive chairman of Uvwie Local Government Council, Hon. Tony Ofoni.
Others include immediate past chairman of Uvwie Local Government Council, Hon. Ramson Onoyake, Hon. Happy Umukoro, and legislative leaders from all eight LGAs in Delta Central.
High point of the occasion was the passing of vote of confidence on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, Gov. Sheriff Oborevwori and Senator Ede Dafinone for their sterling performance in the past two years.
In moving the motion for a vote of confidence on the President, the Governor and Senator Dafinone, the Leader of Uvwie Legislative Arm, Rt. Hon. Rire Oboeruomo said:
“We have been seeing what the senator is doing at the Red Chambers, and the performance of our state Governor, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori and that of the our president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and it is on that note I moved that a vote of confidence be passed on them.”
The motion was seconded by the Leader of Ethiope East Legislative Arm, Rt Hon Emmanuel Oghenetega Emojeya, Leader of Ethiope East Legislative Arm and it was adopted.
Meanwhile, Senator Dafinone, in continuation of his empowerment programme used the occasion to dole out several items worth hundreds of thousands of naira to youths and women of Delta Central Senatorial District.
The empowerment programme include the handing over to 100 youths POS machines and N50,000 in startup capital.
Also, some young women from Delta Central were presented with sewing machines after completing vocational training in Lagos, just as forms for enlistment into the armed forces and other agencies were also distributed to willing young men who are interested in joining the Nigerian Army.
Fielding questions on the sidelines of the event, the Chief of Staff to the Distinguished Senator, Olorogun Adelabu Bodjor, stressed the need for the beneficiaries of the various empowerment programmes to make judicious use of the equipment and items doled out to the by the benevolent Senator, adding that they were expected to become entrepreneurs and employers of labour in due course.
“My advice to the beneficiaries of the Senator’s empowerment is for them to make judicious use of the items given to them.
“They must not sell the items for immediate gains as doing so will discourage the Senator from continuing with the programme.
“It is expected that entrepreneurs will emerge from this programme and they will become employers of labour”, he said.
Others present at the occasion include present includes: Hon. Happy Umukoro, Vice chairperson of Ughelli South Local Government Council and Leaders of the Legislative Arm from the eight local government councils of Delta Central.
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