First Lady Patience Jonathan Donates 10,000 “Empowerment Items” to Women & Youth in Rivers State

ABUJA (NAN) ─ The First Lady of Nigeria, Dame Patience Jonathan, has donated 10,000 pieces of economic empowerment items to women and youths in Rivers.

A statement signed by her Media Assistant, Ayo Adewuyi, made available on Thursday in Abuja, said the beneficiaries were drawn from 21 local government areas of the state.

According to the statement, the items included 210 tricycles; 21 eighteen seater buses; 1,000 sewing machines; 500 grinding machines; seven speed boats;  assorted wrappers; 20, 000 bags of rice; beverages and other consumables.

It also said that the event witnessed the formal launch of the MDG’s e-payment based consolidated Cash Transfer to 3,650 female headed households in the 23 local government areas of the state.

 The statement said the items were part of the collaborative efforts between Jonathan’s NGO, Women for Change and Development Initiative (W4CDI), and the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGs.

 “Beneficiaries will receive between N5,000 and N100,000 monthly as they exit the programme at the end of 12 calendar months.

 “Similarly, five agric based cooperative societies were given grants of N500,000 each to invest in agric business,’’ the statement said.

 The items distributed are expected to generate income for individuals and their households.