- Women in Benue receive branded wheelbarrows as part of economic empowerment
- Critics slam the initiative as undignified and out of touch with real needs
- Some beneficiaries call it a practical solution to mobility challenges
Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, is facing heavy criticism after gifting branded wheelbarrows to rural women under a new economic empowerment scheme.
Eko Hot Blog gathered that the wheelbarrows, tagged “Hyacinth Cares”, were distributed last week to support women engaged in farming and petty trading across local communities.
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According to state officials, the steel-framed barrows, which have a 100-litre capacity, are meant to help women transport goods more easily amid worsening rural road conditions and security issues.
However, the initiative has drawn backlash online and offline, with many Nigerians calling it a tone-deaf response to deeper issues like poverty, insecurity, and lack of access to financial support.
Critics say the move mirrors a 2017 controversy under former Governor Samuel Ortom, who also distributed branded wheelbarrows in the name of youth empowerment, a scheme that was widely condemned at the time.
Dan-Morgan Ihomun, former Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue, questioned the rationale behind the gesture. “The Benue State government should have rather provided fertilisers to farmers. Fertilisers are more important at these times,” he said.
Others are demanding more meaningful interventions such as access to credit, mechanised farming support, and infrastructure investment.
Still, some supporters defended the governor’s move, describing it as a pragmatic step toward improving local trade logistics.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Chairman of Vandeikya Local Government, Rt. Hon. Janet Hembafan Orukuna, has distributed farm inputs under the Renewed Hope Initiative, a national agricultural programme backed by First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
Orukuna praised the First Lady’s vision, calling the intervention “timely and impactful,” especially for rural women striving to feed their families despite the harsh economic climate.
As the controversy simmers, many in Benue are watching to see if future empowerment efforts will go beyond wheelbarrows and address the broader needs of struggling communities.
