Over one hundred and twenty youths have been empowered to better their lives by the former member that represented Anaocha-Njikoka-Dunukofia federal constituency, Honourable Valentine Ayika and his brother, Chief Clement Ayika.
The empowerment ceremony which featured comedy, riddles and jokes, took place at Saint Theresa’s Catholic Church, Enugwu-Ukwu in Njikoka Local Government Area.
It was a pure game of luck as the youths were called out village by village to pick folded papers where each of the items were written down.
Twenty male youths were given one shuttle bus each while female youths numbering over one hundred received sewing machines, weaving machines and grinding machines respectively.
Also, over three hundred ten kilograms of rice were shared among those who were unable to pick any of the items.
Addressing the gathering, Honourable Ayika, flanked by his wife Mrs Cecilia Ayika said that the empowerment was a directive by their mother, Mrs Agnes Ayika whom she said derives pleasure in helping people to have a better life and so mandated him and his brother to ensure that they touch lives positively.
Honourable Ayika said that though their mother, Mrs Agnes is in her late nineties, she has not forgotten or stopped caring for the needy which was why they decided to spend such huge amounts of money to make their mother happy.
He charged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the items to be self-employed and also employ others.
A stakeholder and a friend of the Ayika family, who is a front-line politician, Mr Valentine Ozigbo, while performing the symbolic presentation of the shuttle bus key to one of the beneficiaries noted that the move by the Ayika family is a major way to take youths off the streets, give them better life and provide opportunities for others to be employed.
Mr Ozigbo called for a replica of such gesture in other communities so that Anambra state will be better.
Earlier, the Youth President in Enugu-Ukwu, Architect Chinonso Okeke, who appreciated the Ayika family for their interest in giving better life to Enugwu-Ukwu youths, urged all the beneficiaries to put what they got to good use in order to achieve the aim for which they were provided.
Some of the beneficiaries, Ifunanya Omalu and Chidiogo Okonkwo said that they will forever be grateful to the Ayika family for lessening their burden as those of them involved in fashion designing actually got sewing and weaving machines by luck.
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