Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State yesterday flagged off the second edition of the raffle draw for market traders in the state under the Enugu State Traders Empowerment Scheme, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to fulfilling its promise to boost the state’s economic activities for the overall interest of the people, especially the commoners in the society.
Speaking at the event which saw 100 lucky traders in the state winning N50,000 each at the Ogige market, Nsukka, Gov. Ugwuanyi congratulated the winners and charged them to reinvest the money into their various businesses to promote all round economic growth in the state.
The governor noted that the scheme, which is worth N60 million annually, was specifically designed to empower market traders in the state through open lottery draw where 100 lucky winners will go home with sum of N50,000 each, adding that the state government will be providing N5 million every month to support the initiative.
According to him, “We embarked on this scheme in fulfilment of our promise to boost economic activities in the state and to improve the lot of all members of the society – civil servants, professionals, traders, farmers, artisans etc, and to offer them the chance to make a living, create wealth and enjoy life in a peaceful and secure environment”.
Gov. Ugwuanyi said that the physical and economic landscape of the state has tremendously changed following the massive critical infrastructure and other people-oriented programmes embarked upon by his administration in all parts of the state, saying that the scheme offers traders in Nsukka to participate actively and beneficially in the new socio-economic atmosphere that the government has brought to the area.
He therefore, appreciated the market associations, their customers, stakeholders, women groups in the zone and the generality of the people of the state for the support and solidarity that they have continued to accord his administration, which he said has brought peace and occasioned progress in every part of the state.
In his remark, the President of Nsukka Zonal Amalgamated Traders Association, Hon. Dominic Ezema while applauding Gov. Ugwuanyi’s vision and commitment to the wellbeing of traders in the state, said that the scheme will go a long way to not only empower them but also improve the economic activities in the state.
