By Gabriel Olawale

No less than two hundred and fifty constituents in Akoko-Edo local government area received the sum of N250,000.00 cash grant each from member representing the federal constituency and Deputy House Leader, Hon. Peter Akpatason.

Some of the beneficiaries told newsmen that they received alerts following a three-day agribusiness training in snail farming, poultry, and fishery. The cash grant is the take-off capital for the beneficiaries who are mostly youths and women.

The training was facilitated by the federal lawmaker in collaboration with the Nigerian Institute of Animal Science and Deeright One Technical Services Limited.

The objective, according to Hon. Akpatason was to further his agenda of boosting his constituency’s local economy by providing constituents with skills and capital required to build and maintain successful businesses in critical sectors such as agriculture.

He reckons that this would set many on the path of self-sustenance, create jobs across the value chain, reduce crime and dependence, and raise the standard of living.

The cash and certificates were presented at the end of the three-day training which according to the beneficiaries and other professionals who observed the exercise delivered valuable and practical lessons to participants.

Mr. Sylvester Okosun, a University lecturer engaged as one of the trainers in the exercise, said the training was tailored to address local concerns and issues gathered through a comprehensive local study and monitoring. He said the participants were offered useful and richly-sourced education on starting and managing successful agribusinesses, particularly in areas such as snail farming.

He praised Hon. Peter Akpatason for facilitating the training and providing the take-off capital which, according to him, provided assurances that the trainees, over 700 of them, would go on to put the lessons to practice and thus improve the region and country’s local production capacity.

He urged other lawmakers to emulate Hon. Akpatason in the conception and execution of interventions that score key socio-economic goals, including the upskilling of constituents, improvement of the food production process, and the provision of profitable jobs through productive use of available local resources such as land.

On his part, the Chief Executive Officer of Deeright One Technical Services Limited, the consulting company that managed the training program, Mr. Abiola Folabi, said that the impact of the training would be significant given the size of the trainees and the provision of capital which would otherwise have proven a tall order for the local constituents.

He also commended Hon. Peter Akpatason for the initiative, saying that it is a laudable example of how federal lawmakers can solve local problems and trigger widespread growth through smartly developed interventions.

The beneficiaries could not hide their joy over the development which they praised as life-changing and greatest source of optimism as we approach a new year.

The presentation of the certificates and cash capital drew general applause and commendation from all present and across the constituency, with many attesting to Hon. Akpatason’s outstanding representation and constant drive to improve the living conditions of all.