Gov. Muhammad Badaru of Jigawa State

The Guri Local Government Council Council in Jigawa on Friday disbursed N6 million to 600 traders in the area as empowerment under its Small Scale Business Development Programme.

The beneficiaries include tea sellers, sugarcane sellers, beans sellers as well as groundnut cake sellers.

Each beneficiary collected N10,000 each.

The Chairman of the council, Alhaji Barkono Jaji-Adiyani, said the essence of the programme was to empower his people to enable them to attain self-reliance.

According to him, the beneficiaries were drawn from 10 wards of the council, with each ward providing 60 people.

He assured the people of the continuity of the programme, saying those who are left out will be captured in subsequent editions of the disbursement.

Alhaji Adamu Mohammed, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman in the area, commended Jaji-Adiyani for emulating the Federal Government’s Social Investment Programme (SIP).

Mohammed urged the chairman to put everything in place to ensure its sustainability for the benefit of more people.

He noted that with the SIP, Gov. Mohammed Badaru of the state had keyed into, would boost small scale businesses and alleviate poverty in the state.

Adamu urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the funds to develop their businesses.

Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, Malam Abubakar Isyaku, thanked Jaji-Adiyani for the gesture and ensuring fairness in the disbursement.

“This is the first time in the history of this council that funds disbursement actually gets to the target beneficiaries without attempt to divert them.

“We are living witnesses to the fact that in the past, only those close to the authorities benefited from such funds. In some cases, they received twice or even thrice to the detriment of others.

“As we wish you success and God’s guidance in all your endeavours, I want to once again thank you for this show of fairness and compassion to your people,” he said.