• Friday, March 29, 2024
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NPA takes CSR to over 200 people in Imo community

NPA CSR PIC

As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has donated skills empowerment items to over 200 people of Umuoziri Inyisi, Ikeduru LGA in Imo State.

The aim of the Authority was to equip Nigerian youths in the communities, with vocational and life skills that can create wealth and support livelihood.

Speaking at the presentation of the items to the good people of Umuoziri Inyisi, Hadiza Bala Usman, managing director of NPA, expressed NPA’s unwavering commitment to impact positively on lives by giving back to the society.

Usman, who was represented by Ikechukwu Onyemekara, principal manager, Corporate/Strategic Communication in NPA, said as a Federal Government’s agency, the Authority is committed to contributing to the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari administration to drastically reduce the number of people living in abject poverty.

“We are hopeful that these items, which include electrical grinding machines, sewing machines, and hand grinding machines will go a long way in putting food on the table of people in the community. We also hope that once beneficiaries get to work with these items, they would be able to take care of their basic needs of life that were hitherto problematic,’’ she stated.
According to her, the Authority is particularly interested in the empowerment of women and the youth giving the importance of their role and assistance they can offer to the fathers in upbringing of the children and the maintenance of the homes.

“In the case of our youths, it is important they have some work at hand at every material time to discourage them from being tempted into engaging in anti-social activities,” Usman said.

She further said that the Authority had taken note of people with skills and those without skills. “This was why we have sewing machines, which will be distributed to people who have learned the trade. The grinding machines would be for women and youths who have not acquired any skills,” she stated.

She congratulated the beneficiaries, and advised them to make judicious use of the items, adding that the NPA have had instances of people who sell the items given to them immediately after handover, but ‘we appeal that you do not do this’.

Eze Andrew Osuji, traditional ruler of Inyisi Autonomous Community applauded NPA for initiating such a laudable programme to benefit youths of the community.

The monarch also urged the beneficiaries to make appropriate use of the items.

Earlier in his welcome address, the president-general of the community, Richard Ihejirika thanked Hadiza Bala Usman and entire management of NPA, for this wonderful gesture to the people of his community.

“From all indications, it is like God visited the community in the likeness of men to liberate the people of our community from poverty and destitution,” he said.

According to him, it was obvious that Bala Usman may have heard of Umuoziri community as to knowing the social and economic status of the community.

He stated that the community leadership had never known Hadiza Bala Usman before now and there was no way the community would have dreamt of what she can do especially with regards to empowering the youths and the less privileged persons in the community.

He also added, “Usman, Ma, on behalf of the Umuoziri community. I wish to pledge our unalloyed support for your office, the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), and the Federal Government of Nigeria.”

AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE 

 

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