Cross River Lawmaker Empowers Constituents with Minibuses, Tricycles, Cash Gifts

The Senator representing Cross River South Senatorial District, Asuquo Ekpenyong, has distributed minibuses, tricycles, and cash gifts of N100,000 to members of his constituency as part of an empowerment programme.

The event took place on Saturday in Calabar. Speaking at the ceremony, Senator Ekpenyong, who also chairs the Senate Committee on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), said the initiative was designed to complement the development efforts of President Bola Tinubu and Governor Bassey Otu in improving the economic well-being of Nigerians.

He stated that the programme included skills acquisition training for young men and women, start-up grants, and distribution of capital items such as minibuses and tricycles. The lawmaker urged beneficiaries not to sell the items, warning that doing so would turn a sustainable source of livelihood into a one-time gain.

Ekpenyong promised to sustain the empowerment programme and called on residents to continue supporting the Tinubu administration.

The NDDC Director of Commercial and Industrialisation, Barrister Linda Okara, disclosed that 150 minibuses and 200 tricycles were distributed. She noted that the exercise was a collaboration with Senator Ekpenyong, who chairs the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs. According to her, beneficiaries were selected at the grassroots level by stakeholders to ensure inclusivity.

The NDDC State Director in Cross River, Daniel Ajunwa, said the intervention was part of efforts to engage youths, reduce unemployment, and curb criminality.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Arit Nyong thanked the lawmaker for fulfilling his campaign promises, describing the empowerment as a call to self-reliance that would transform lives and make beneficiaries independent.