Osun APC LG Empowerment: Uneasy Calm As Beneficiaries Get ₦10,000 Instead Of ₦50,000 Promised
There is uneasy calm following the empowerment programme organised by local government chairmen elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress in Osun State, with beneficiaries alleging they were shortchanged.
OSUN DEFENDER reports that the APC council chairmen in a statement signed by their leader, Mr Idowu Abiodun, said they have commenced an empowerment programme targeting over 45,000 residents across the state.
Abiodun said the empowerment programme was designed for the disbursement of ₦50,000 naira cash grant to each beneficiary in every council.
He noted that the initiative was aimed at encouraging entrepreneurship and supporting existing small businesses in the localities.
“Each of the local governments will empower over 1,500 people giving every beneficiary 50,000 naira each for investment. The beneficiaries include; women, youths, elders, artisans, traders, business owners among others. This scheme is open to all,” he said.
However, some of the beneficiaries have alleged that they only received ₦10,000 instead of the ₦50,000 announced by the APC council chairmen.
The beneficiaries who spoke with OSUN DEFENDER, alleged that they were paired in groups of five and the money was transferred to a Point of Sales agent where they went to collect it.
One of the beneficiaries who does not want her name in print for fear of intimidation, said she and four others were given ₦50,000 to share.
“Instead of the ₦50,000 they promised us, I only got ₦10,000. The ₦50,000 was transferred to a POS agent at Testing Ground where four other people and I went to collect it.
“This is not good enough. They told the whole world that they were empowering us with ₦50,000 each but we ended up collecting ₦10,000. I hope we will get an answer to the reason they decided to do it like that”.
Another beneficiary of the empowerment programme also confirmed the same, noting that he got ₦10,000 from the ₦50,000 transferred to a Point of Sales Agent at Ogo-Oluwa area.
The beneficiary said, “I got ₦10,000 instead of ₦50,000. I heard it was the same in other local governments.
“It is not that they increased the number of the beneficiaries, I don’t know why they decided to do that to us” the beneficiary who claimed to be an APC member stated.
OSUN DEFENDER could not independently verify the beneficiaries’ claims as of press time as efforts to reach the Osun APC ALGON chairman proved abortive.
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
