…puts smiles on faces of physically challenged with over 300 wheelchairs
The senator representing Imo East Senatorial District, Owerri Zone, in the upper legislative chamber, the Senate and Deputy Chairman, Senate Committee on State and Local Government, Sen. Ezenwa Francis Onyewuchi has taken the bar of empowerment a notch higher following the successful training and empowerment of over seven hundred (700), women, youths and the disabled in his latest skills acquisition and empowerment program..
Also, in a related development, he put smiles on the faces of the physically challenged with the distribution of over three hundred wheelchairs to ease the difficulties of their day to day movement.
This latest empowerment program comes barely six months after the lawmaker also trained and empowered over two hundred women and girls in soap, detergent and perfume making.
The intensive training preceding the proper resettlement took place simultaneously in three centres namely, All Saints Anglican Cathedral Egbu, NIIT Technology Centre, Owerri and his constituency office at Ugwu Orji, with experts drawn from the respective areas training the beneficiaries in Information and Communication Technology, ICT, GSM and System Repairs, locking and unlocking of phones, Videography and Photography, and Cooking, Culinary Skills and Catering.
Speaking during the formal handover of the empowerment tools which included brand new laptops, cameras and complete cooking equipments, the lawmaker disclosed that the exercise was to deepen and sustain his skills acquisition and empowerment initiative which he said has been a key component of his legislative roadmap since his entry nto the National Assembly in 2011.
Sen. Onyewuchi noted that he specifically places emphasis on skills training and subsequent empowerment of trainees as a deliberate strategy to bridge the unemployment gap in his Senatorial District and create jobs for the unemployed youths, women and the physically challenged.
According to him, given the sky rocketing unemployment rate in the country which is reaching alarming proportion, coupled with near absence of white collar jobs, the only sustainable solution to joblessness among the populace remains creation of alternative jobs initiatives such as he has long been doing through his skills training and empowerment agenda which argued is the surest and most reliable route to arresting the festering problem.
The lawmaker noted that as management guru who believes in the efficacy of skills empowerment to address huge unemployment challenge he has deliberately built and sustained a culture of regular investment in the training and equipping of indigenes of his Senatorial District towards making them self reliant, economically self sustaining and contributors to general growth and development.
He expressed satisfaction with the quality of the training received by the trainees and the practical skills garnered, and expressed the hope that in no distant time they will not only hit the ground running but also transform into employers of labour and bread winners of their respective families.
The ranking lawmaker disclosed that his office has uploaded the data of the beneficiaries to its database, pointing out that the essence of doing that was to continually monitor their progress, assuring that he is poised to financially support those adjudged to be doing well in their respective areas empowerment.
He equally stated his resolve to continue to invest in human capital development through empowerment and employment of his people, just as challenged the beneficiaries to demonstrate that the huge resources he spent in packaging the project, and the time and energy they put into acquiring the skills were not a waste by putting what they learnt into positive use to better their lot and those of their families as well as contribute to societal growth and development.
In the same vein, towards easing the daily challenges faced by physically challenged members of his senatorial district, the lawmaker alongside his wife, Mrs Chika Onyewuchi also doled out over 300 wheelchairs to them.
Underscoring the objective behind the gesture the lawmaker noted that it was done to give sense of belonging to the physically challenged, who he said have the potential to turn disability into ability if given the right motivation and support.
He recalled that he had earlier included the physically challenged in his skills training and empowerment which, preceded the wheelchair distribution adding that as an ardent believer in their capacity to excel in their chosen fields of endeavour and contribute individually and collectively to societal growth and development, his office will always prioritize issues and challenges facing them.
Two of the wheelchair beneficiaries, Adindu Joseph from Onicha Ward One, Ezinihitte Local Government Area and Justina Offor from Ikenegbu Ward, Owerri Municipal, in their responses showered praises on the lawmaker and his wife for showing practical affection and love to them and assured them of their support at all times
