Empowerment Programmes: The Tale Of Two Senators By Adeboye Adebayo

Empowerment programmes, people call it poverty alleviation programmes that is meant to empower the vulnerable class of the society to be self sufficient, self reliant, self confident and live a sustainable life devoid of joblessness and begging for them to be self dependent like it is embedded in the life more abundant policy of the late sage; Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo of blessed memory.

In the present society, empowerment programmes has become a political tool in the hands of politicians, old & young, including myself to seek favour of the classless class of the society to achieve our goals in getting to a political office or to be relevant while in the office.

In as much as some unscrupulous political elements want to bastardize the so called political tool, it has remained a viable way of genuinely getting our people across the poverty line and that has contributed in no small measure to the recent ranking of the State of Osun as the 2nd wealthiest state in the country under the leadership of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola through the numerous empowerment and poverty alleviation programmes & policies of his administration, of many state and federal lawmakers in our great party; APC and many of our Governorship aspirants which has indeed progressively changed the classless class of many of our people in the State of Osun.

But of note is two events that went viral in pictures, testimonies and video last weekend on social media where two Senators had empowerment programmes for their constituents in different qualities, quantities, contents and for different reasons.

Distinguished Senator Babajide Omoworare representing the good people of Osun East Senatorial at the weekend constructively empowered over 100 people from Ijesha land by training them how to manufacture some of our daily used products like soaps, cake, candles, perfumes, deodorants and other daily used products. The over 100 people were trained to manufacture the products, they were given materials needed for the manufacturing of those products, they were given needed kits to start on their own and money to kick start their businesses.

With this, they have become producers of daily needed products within their environment with a very big room for expansion and improvement.  They individually can also become employers of two or three labourers or more each based on how well they can develop themselves and Osun people, trust us, we know how to make fortune from little opportunities since we have all naturally and practically become Omoluabi courtesy Aregbesola.

With this long lasting gestures from Distinguished Senator Babajide Omoworare, these 100 women can feed themselves, buy their cloths without waiting for any politician to give them rice or Ankara, they can pay their rent and send their children to schools.

Also at the weekend, a video become viral on the internet where another “Dinstinguished” Senator Iyiola Omisore; an impeached deputy governor in the then Osun state was distributing a bundle of 5 yards Ankara and 2000 naira to Osun women in the name of empowerment. In as much as I don’t to refer to the past when the same man was sharing “rices” on air, I want to say with high level of responsibility that this is an insult on the personality of women in the State of Osun, they are virtuous women for God’s sake that have dignity and command respect, it is absurd and very irresponsible for “Distinguished” Senator Omisore to be insulting them by taking advantage of their current situation of vulnerability  asking them to line up and be giving them 2000 naira whereas his colleague constructively empowered them and taught them how to fish for the rest of their life.

In comparing the two scenarios, it is deduced that the PDP & its members in Osun have still not learnt their lessons, they lack basic idea of how to govern people by providing critical infrastructures and enabling environment for business to thrive and bring about flourishing home grown economic developments which will encourage our people to contribute willingly to the growth of the state by paying their taxes as it is under the current administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.

Whereas Osun APC through the initiative and benevolence of Distinguished Senator Babajide Omoworare has shown that we are really the progressive party that respect people especially women and the vulnerable, we don’t insult them by sharing ” rices” or Ankara or 2000 naira notes but we encourage them, give them necessary infrastructure, create enabling environment, support them with training and necessary facilities to stand on their own and become employers of labour in line with the thought of our father, our leader; Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu when he says “Our vision must be geared towards improving the living conditions of our people and we must encourage them to conquer poverty ”.

Osun APC through Babajide Omoworare has done just that over the weekend while Iyiola Omisore insulted the ever hardworking, diligent and resilient Osun Women.

Adeboye Adebayo is the National Publicity Secretary of Asiwaju Grassroots Foundation; AGF, Leader of Youths and a Raufist to the core.