The Member representing Mangu/Bokkos Federal Constituency, Hon. Ishaya D. Lalu, has launched a ₦50 million cash empowerment programme alongside the distribution of vehicles and other income-generating assets to constituents across the constituency.
The empowerment package includes Peugeot vehicles, tractors, passenger and cargo tricycles, solar-powered tricycles, sewing machines, irrigation water-pumping machines, grinding machines, motorcycles, electric bicycles and other productive equipment targeted at various beneficiary groups.
Speaking at the launch held at the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) Hall in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, Lalu said the initiative was aimed at strengthening the economic base of the people and reducing poverty at the grassroots.
According to him, the programme was deliberately structured to be skills-based and sustainable, with sewing machines allocated to trained tailors, water pumps to irrigation farmers and farm inputs to farmers, in order to ensure effective utilisation and long-term impact.
“When people are productively engaged, insecurity and social vices are reduced, and peace is enhanced. This empowerment is part of my commitment to improving livelihoods and ensuring that the people benefit meaningfully from the mandate they have given me,” he said.
The Plateau State Governor, Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, while inspecting and commissioning the empowerment items at the Air Force Military School, earlier in Jos, described the initiative as a practical intervention capable of promoting economic self-reliance among beneficiaries.
“There is no better legacy than lifting people out of poverty and putting them on the path to prosperity. If properly utilised, these items can significantly improve the lives of the beneficiaries,” the governor said, commending the lawmaker for what he described as a people-centred intervention.
He also called on elected officials to prioritise collaborative efforts aimed at promoting peace and development across the state.
Traditional institutions in the area also welcomed the initiative. The District Head of Mangun in Mangu LGA, HRH Da Job Ali Damyal, speaking on behalf of the traditional council, said grassroots empowerment would contribute to improved stability in the communities, adding that traditional rulers would monitor the utilisation of the items.
Speaking on behalf of the Mangu and Bokkos local government chairmen, the Deputy Chairman of Mangu LGA, Hon. Nuhu Yakwen, commended Lalu as a role model and expressed confidence that future phases of the programme would continue to benefit the people.
Some beneficiaries expressed appreciation for the support. A farmer from Bokkos, Mr. Babawo Suleiman Wang, said the fertiliser he received would help expand his farming activities, while Mrs. Celina Augustine Datit from Mangu Ward 1 described the empowerment as encouraging and called for similar interventions by other public office holders.
