EDITOR’S PICKS:
Apex socio-cultural group for Lagosians living in the diaspora, Eko Club International on Wednesday kicked off a cash empowerment programme geared towards stimulating small and medium-scale business owners expand the frontiers of their enterprise.
The cash empowerment programme, courtesy of Lagosians in the diaspora, specifically USA, Canada and UK, held on Wednesday, September 15, 2021 at the Dr Nurudeen Olowopopo Memorial Clinic, Isolo, Lagos, and drew beneficiaries from all five divisions of Lagos state, namely; Ikeja, Badagry, Ikorodu, Lagos Island and Epe.
Two hundred and fifty beneficiaries were given fifty thousand naira each to bolster and complement their small and medium scale enterprises as part of the poverty alleviation programme embarked on by the club as a way of giving back to the nether regions of the society.
The club President, Lanre Ojo, disclosing the rationale behind the empowerment initiative said that the vast majority of Lagosians in the Diaspora couldn’t possibly have stood before the threshold of greener pastures without the assistance and selfless sacrifice of the local community; hence the need to give back to those who have sacrificed for others to improve their estate in life.
Speaking during the empowerment initiative, Otunba TJ Abass, a president emeritus of the club said Eko Club International has been an exemplar of altruism in its continued drive to affect lives positively via its various outreach programmes and initiatives.
Otunba TJ Abass, President Emeritus, Eko Club International
“Giving back home, giving back to the community has become a parameter with which to measure every other organization in the Diaspora. They have embarked on so many projects since their inception. One of the signature programmes is the medical missions which we do annually. This is Dr Olowopopo’s clinic. This clinic was built by Eko Club International in honor of one of their members who passed away some years ago.”
“So it has been an organization that has been the definition of altruism. It has been a definition of giving back to the community, and I think they’ve done that very well. Today we are here for this empowerment programme. They’re empowering ordinary people of Lagos State; market women, traders with the sum of fifty thousand naira with participants drawn across all the local government areas of the state.”
Dr Ishola, a member of Eko Lagosians in Minnesota, said an empowerment initiative of this nature has become imperative since Government alone cannot shoulder the brunt of economic emancipation of the general populace.
Dr Ishola
“This year instead of the medical mission, we embarked on empowerment programme. We hope this becomes very successful. Its something that we plan to continue doing; to empower more of our people since we cannot leave everything for the government. Citizens have to come up, organizations, NGOs have to come up and help. We have to give back to our community like its done in the US.”
“We have other plans in the works, that we are working on right. Those will be for the future, like trainings, vocational schools, giving educational funds like we’re already doing. We can expand on that and so much.
Hon Adesuji Fatai, another member of the club said the initiative would end up serving a two-pronged merit of alleviating financial difficulty and also bolster the local economy. He called on the Government and well meaning individuals to emulate the initiative and lend a helping hand to the industrious and enterprising lot in the society who have no means of expanding their business ideas and initiatives.
Hon Adesuji Fatai
“We are trying to start distributing money to people. We want to actually alleviate poverty. Without money, there is nothing you can do. What we are trying to emulate is what is done abroad. If you give someone money, and he spends it in this country, the money will roll the economy round.”
“I’m appealing to the government and people who are listening to this to please gather themselves together and help the needy financially. We’re not asking for clothes, we are not asking for medicine anymore. We want money. Give them money. Some are saying it will cause inflation. That’s not true. They give us money in America.”
Other members of the club who ran point during the programme include the chairman of the empowerment initiative, Alhaji Zainudeen Popoola, Shola Hasstrup, Yetunde Konrad, Bukky Adebiyi, and Bisi Rokosu Lawal, the Public Relations Officer of the club.
Alhaji Zainudeen Popoola
Speaking with Eko Hot Blog after receiving the grants, the beneficiaries thanked the club for the initiative and expressed optimism that the funds would go a long way in helping them expand their various businesses.
“Thank God for Eko Club International for this empowerment. We were called by our Badagry division that Eko Club International is organizing an empowerment to help people. I was fortunate to be one of the beneficiaries. I sell provisions. It will help a lot. With the economy now things are hard. Thank you to Eko Club International,” said Tessy Roberts, one of the beneficiaries from Badagry Division.
A tailor, Oladimeji Gbeminiyi, from Ilara, Epe Division described the empowerment initiative as a great opportunity that would immensely help him push his business forward.
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Shola Hasstrup
Bisi Rokosu Lawal
“I want to say a very big thank you to Eko Club International for this great opportunity. Its a great opportunity for me. I’ll be able to use this empowerment fund to push my business forward. I am actually a tailor. With this, I’ll be able to add a little money to it and get more machines than the ones I have before. So I really really them and pray God takes them to greater heights,” he said.
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