Lauretta Fagbohun
Abeokuta.
The Ogun Economic Development Group (OGEDG), Yewa North Chapter, has called on residents of the local government area to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Ogun State, Senator Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, in the 2027 general elections.
The group made the call while empowering 517 residents with cash and providing aprons to market women as part of efforts to cushion economic hardship and promote grassroots development.
The programme, held at the Omidokun Ultramodern Hall, Ayetoro, attracted community leaders, political stakeholders, youths, market men and women, artisans and other residents from various parts of Yewa North.
The event also featured a civic sensitisation session aimed at encouraging responsible citizenship and greater participation in the democratic process.
Speaking at the programme, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, emphasised the importance of grassroots mobilisation, responsible citizenship and sustained participation in governance.
Salako urged the beneficiaries and other residents to remain actively involved in the democratic process, noting that meaningful development could only be achieved when citizens understood their civic responsibilities and participated actively in choosing their representatives at different levels of government.
He also advised the beneficiaries to utilise the support productively, stressing that economic empowerment should lead to improved livelihoods and greater self-reliance.
The Iyaloja-General of Ogun State, Alhaja Yemisi Abass, alongside Alhaji Bisiriyu Popoola and Senator Kola Bajomo, commended OGEDG for combining economic empowerment with civic education.
They called for more interventions aimed at supporting small businesses, petty traders, farmers, artisans and other residents whose livelihoods depend largely on informal economic activities.
The guest lecturer, Dr Yemisi Bamigbose, said grassroots development should go beyond economic empowerment to include human capital development and civic education.
Bamigbose said economic empowerment and political sensitisation were essential components of grassroots development, noting that citizens who were economically empowered and adequately informed about their civic responsibilities were better positioned to contribute meaningfully to society.
Two beneficiaries, Mrs Alice Olaleye and Alhaji Mukaila Awojobi, expressed appreciation to the organisers for the intervention, describing it as timely in view of the economic difficulties confronting many households.
The Chairman of the Planning Committee, Alhaji AbdulWasiu Akinyemi, said the initiative was designed to strengthen grassroots participation while providing practical economic support, particularly for residents operating small businesses and those in the informal sector.
Akinyemi disclosed that similar programmes had previously been organised in Abeokuta North, Abeokuta South, Odeda, Ado-Odo/Ota and Ijebu-Ode local government areas.
The organiser, Mr Lukumon Oladele, who participated virtually from abroad, urged the beneficiaries to regard the cash support as an opportunity to improve their livelihoods and expand their economic activities rather than as temporary financial relief.
