The Chairman of Taura Local Government Council in Jigawa State, Hon. Shuaibu Hambali, has unveiled a wide-ranging empowerment programme valued at over ₦250 million, aimed at improving livelihoods, enhancing skills acquisition and strengthening social welfare across the local government area. The initiative is regarded as one of the most comprehensive grassroots empowerment drives implemented in the area in recent times.
The programme aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the 12-Point Development Agenda of Jigawa State Governor, Malam Umar Namadi. It cuts across key sectors including economic empowerment, education, healthcare, housing, safety and human capital development, with interventions targeted at youths, women, farmers, artisans, vulnerable groups and students.
Speaking during the distribution exercise, Hon. Hambali said the intervention was designed to translate policy promises into real benefits for residents. He explained that the programme was structured to complement the state government’s people-centred policies on poverty reduction, inclusive growth and sustainable development. According to him, “this empowerment programme is our way of bringing the Renewed Hope Agenda to the grassroots and ensuring that ordinary people feel the impact of government.”
Under the economic empowerment component, the council distributed 43 motorcycles to beneficiaries, alongside 190 sewing machines for youths trained in tailoring. A total of 180 pasta-making machines were also provided, with each beneficiary receiving a 10kg bag of flour as start-up support. The programme further included the distribution of 50 grinding machines, 31 welding machines, 20 water pumps for farmers and 20 generators for phone-charging businesses.
Women empowerment featured prominently in the initiative. Frying equipment for akara, also known as bean cake or kosai, was distributed to 60 women to support small-scale food businesses. In addition, 15 wheelchairs were presented to persons living with disabilities to enhance mobility and social inclusion.
Cash grants were also disbursed to stimulate micro and small businesses. Beneficiaries of vocational skills training received ₦100,000 each to support business start-up. One hundred Fulani women engaged in milk trading were supported with ₦10,000 each, while motorcycle riders’ associations in the 10 wards of the local government received ₦30,000 per ward.
In the area of human capital development, 40 residents were trained in electrical installation and maintenance, while 10 others underwent training in welding and fabrication. Hon. Hambali said the focus on skills acquisition was meant to improve employability and reduce unemployment among youths.
The chairman further disclosed that the council constructed four houses for vulnerable persons, two houses for new converts and two houses for vulnerable political actors. He also announced the donation of a plot of land to an Islamiyya school in Taura, reinforcing the council’s support for faith-based and community education.
To improve safety in riverine communities, 200 life jackets were distributed as part of accident prevention and emergency response efforts. In the education sector, the council distributed 8,000 exercise books to primary school pupils and 15,000 lesson plan books to teachers under the Taura Local Government Education Authority. Another 15,000 Primary School Leaving Certificate booklets and 1,000 cartons of chalk were supplied, while 191 temporary teachers under the T-Teach programme were registered.
The council also awarded scholarships to 78 students fully sponsored at tertiary institutions, including Schools of Nursing and Midwifery in Kazaure and Nguru, Aminatu College and the Police College. In healthcare, free hernia surgeries were sponsored for 50 patients, free eye surgeries for 60 patients, and 25,000 diagnostic cards were distributed, with ₦7.45 million spent on medical bills for 21 critically ill patients referred to Rasheed Shekoni Teaching Hospital.
