The first phase of the Mbaise Youth Empowerment programme initiated by the President and Spiritual Director Canaanland Adoration Ministries, A. K. A E-Dey-Work, Rev Fr Dr Magnus Ebere, SDV, has fully commenced with the presentation of empowerment equipment and materials to five beneficiaries selected after a rigorous exercise.
The lucky beneficiaries and their projects are as follows:
Onyeoziri Favour Adaku – Pepper farming, Onyeocha Cordis chiamaka – Baking and Confectionery, Odunze Ngozi Augustina – Garri business, Chidinma Silver Obi- Dry fish business and Iwuh Vitus Ugonna – fashion designing.
The items handed out to them include seedlings, chemicals, bags of fertilizer, bags of flour, Baking items such as 30 Liters of groundnut oil, butter and sugar, Assorted Dry fish and stockfish, Bags of Garri, sewing and weaving machines as well as cash for logistics.
Speaking on Sunday before handing over the items to the Youths comprising four females and a male, Fr Ebere popularly known as Fr E-Dey-Work stressed the need for youths to meaningfully engage themselves in order to be responsible.
The Catholic Priest who dwelt on the topic “On my way to the top”, told Youths that they are the architect of their future and charged them to refrain from blaming others for their woes.
” You are responsible for the outcome of your life. You must be responsible or you will be a liability. If you are not responsible, you will die as a liability.
“You are the architect of your life. Don’t wait for anybody. You are the designer or builder of your life,” he emphasized.
While expressing anger at the attitude of many Youths concerning their lives today, Fr E-Dey-Work noted that many are liabilities today because they have neglected opportunities that abound in their localities in the course of insisting on travelling abroad or to the cities.
According to him, ” You dont wait until you get to the township before you can make it.The best place you can make it is your birthplace.”
Fr Ebere who enjoined them to have self control over their lifestyle warned them against offering themselves as willing tools in the hands of politicians, pointing out that the more responsible they become the more politicians respect them.
“You will get more from people if you are responsible. The way you live today will determine what you will be tomorrow.
” Without government or politicians, you can succeed. The reason for your not succeeding is because you are waiting for somebody,” the Catholic priest noted.
He therefore challenged Youths to shun giving excuses for their failures but embrace the spirit of overcoming challenges on their way.
He assured those yet to benefit that the programme which is intended to encourage Mbaise youths to invest in their land will continue until the area becomes the focus of the Nigerian business community.
Baring their minds in separate interviews, all the beneficiaries described the empowerment programme as the first of its kind in Mbaise land and thanked the convener, Rev Fr Dr Magnus Ebere for the gesture which they confessed will lift them out of poverty.
They further commended the rigorous selection process they passed through and made it clear that the business techniques implanted in them through the teachings of Fr E-Dey-Work and the seminar organized during the exercise have empowered them with the knowledge to handle their businesses professionally.
Hanto Daily News reports that over fifty Youths applied for the empowerment programme which witnessed defence of project proposals and visits to project sites of nine out of eleven selected for these steps as well as seminar for the five successful candidates.
