Former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of Representatives candidate in Kwara State Sheriff Shagaya is confident in the ability of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to deliver dividends of democracy to Kwarans.
Shagaya said: “I pray and hope that the government will have the zeal and power to reduce poverty in the state. There is a lot of poverty in Kwara. Governor AbdulRazaq is someone I know that cares a lot about the welfare of the people. I am sure he will do a lot for the less privileged in the state.”
Shagaya, who is the chairman of Salman Shagaya Foundation, revealed that the foundation haw will connect no fewer than 4,000 homes in Kwara with solar energy.
He said that the foundation since 2015 till date has empowered about 7,000 Kwarans with N10,000 each.
Shagaya spoke in Ilorin, the state capital at an empowerment programme for 700 people.
Said he: “This is the 14th edition of the empowerment programme of the foundation. We began in 2015. It is a continuation of what the foundation does every month. We began with 100 beneficiaries in 2015 but today the beneficiaries have increased to 700. The last time 500 people benefited from the programme. Hopefully, the number of the beneficiaries should increase to 1,000 this year.
“Close to 7,000 people have benefited from the programme, it is aimed at assisting them in their little businesses just like what the federal government. Though, they are not paying back.
“Each of the beneficiaries today will go home with a cash gift of N10,000. The foundation will also provide feeding later in the day for the less privileged in Ilorin, the state capital.
“Apart from this, the foundation is embarking on the provision of solar power to 4,000 homes in the state. We are bringing solar panels from Germany for the electrification of homes in Kwara. The first set of containers for the solar panels will arrive Nigeria next month and by August this year we will start the programme.”