By BILYAMINU IDRIS, Sokoto

Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State has called on the people of the state to take advantage of the empowerment money of N20,000 being disbursed to them to engage in a sustainable business venture in order to increase their standard of living.

According to him, the most useful antidote to poverty is for a man to engage in an enterprise that would make him realise his potentials instead of relying on handouts from the rich and politicians.

The governor stated On Sunday at Rabah and Binji local government areas while distributing N20,000 each to 1,000 people male and female in every local government of the state.

The program, bankrolled with N4 billion, was initiated by the Sokoto State Government to assist needy persons in order to improve their living conditions by engaging in small businesses.

Gov. Tambuwal expressed dissatisfaction with the way some people in the state and other parts of the North have made begging a profession instead of them to utilise the many opportunities available to them to be enterprising.

“Even Islam does not encourage idleness and dependency, both of which, unfortunately, have become the stock in trade of many people here,” the governor noted.

He charged them to take advantage of the money given to them so as to improve their businesses even as he promised his administration would continue to bring out many policies that will empower the people in the state.

Tambuwal added that his administration will not relent in giving priority to agriculture, health, education as well as effective service delivery in all sectors, reiterating that so far that various projects have been executed across the 23 local government areas of the state.

In order to address certain security challenges in parts of the state, the governor said the government is working tirelessly in collaboration with security agencies for protecting lives and properties visit citizenry.

He urged the people to always report any suspicious character to the security agents even as he admonished them to pray hard for the success of the present administration and sustenance of peace and stability in the state and country in general.

In his remarks, the deputy governor, Alhaji Munir Dan Iya, thanked the governor for all the support and cooperation given to the ministry.

He charged the beneficiaries to utilise the money judiciously as the programme targets 200,000 beneficiaries across the 23 local governments.

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