Hon. (Pastor) Oghenedoro Nelson Owoso-led administration of Ethiope West Local Government Council in Delta State has presented starter packs to successful participants of the first phase of the Ethiope West Visible Entrepreneurship and Skill Acquisition, EWVESA programme.
Pastor Owoso at the event which was held on Friday, December 22, 2023, at Chief James Onanefe Ibori’s Civic Center, Oghara, also flagged off the second phase of the Ethiope West Visible Entrepreneurship and Skill Acquisitions programme and empowerment of traders and farmers in the local government area.
Over 300 persons selected across wards completed an apprenticeship in one year under the first phase of the Ethiope West Visible Entrepreneurship and Skill Acquisitions programme.
Fashion design had the highest number of trainees of twenty-five, hairdressing thirteen, computer six and two in welding and fabrication.
The starter packs presented to graduands for fashion design were presented sewing machines, scissors, measurement tapes, pressing irons, machine oil, and packets of sewing machine needles.
Participants for hairdressing got standing/portable hair dryers and towel hangers, graduands for computer training received portable photocopiers and printers while those welding and fabrication were presented welding machines, diesel generators, and masks.
The joy of the participants for the first phase of the Ethiope West Visible Entrepreneurship and Skill Acquisitions programme and the over two hundred selected traders and farmers for the second phase of the empowerment programme knew no bounds as they were presented starter packs and cash gifts.
Chairman of Ethiope West Local Government Council, Right Honourable Oghenedoro Owoso, a pastor, said the Ethiope West Visible Entrepreneurship and Skill Acquisitions programme is one of the laudable socio-economic programmes conceived by his administration aimed at ameliorating the suffering, poverty and crime reduction amongst the citizenry.
He charged the graduands for the Entrepreneurship and Skill Acquisitions programme and the traders and farmers who were recipients of cash gifts to judiciously make use of the starter packs and monies to be self-reliant and grow their businesses for financial independence.
Pastor Owoso who reeled out twenty-eight projects and programmes executed by his administration in three years to foster the development of the area disclosed that the local government is desirous to do more for the people of Ethiope West.
The projects according to him include the execution of constituency water projects in all 20 political wards, purchases and installation of 500KVA, 11/0.415 transformer along Okuede-Oguedion road, Jesse, renovation of a block of four classrooms with an office at Erhivwohwo Primary School, Ugbomoya Waterside, Jesse, purchase of three operational vehicles for security patrol for the three vigilante groups of the three kingdoms in Ethiope West Local Government Area and rehabilitation of failed portions of roads across the council area.
Other projects include the restoration of security and the provision of a water supply scheme with a generator at Sadia Jetty, Oghareki, the distribution of 50,000 notebooks to the 48 primary schools across the local government area and the purchase of refuse a truck for effective evacuation of refuse, facelift of the local government secretariat amongst others.
The traditional rulers of the three kingdoms in Ethiope West Local Government Area, His Royal Majesty, Noble Eshemitan, JP, Uku Oghara Na’ me Ovie of Oghara Kingdom, His Royal Majesty King O.M.A Whiskey Odurie and His Royal Majesty, Sunday Odogu Okpurhe, Uduaka I, Ovie of Mosogar kingdom, as well as some notable politicians including a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon Ben Igbakpa, a one-time member of the Delta State House of Assembly, Chief Anthony Akpomemie, PDP chairman for Ethiope West, Chief Solomon Obareki and Mr Benson Okorodudu, commended Right Honourable Oghenedoro Owoso for his commitment to the development of the area and the people.
It is expected that the participants of the Entrepreneurship and Skill Acquisition programme and the traders and farmers would in the shortest purpose time make themselves useful in the economic growth of Ethiope West Local Government Area through the knowledge they have garnered and the money given to them to improve their businesses.
