FG Hands Solar Systems and Stoves to 300 Ondo Beneficiaries

By Daniel Okafor

The Federal Government distributed locally produced clean cooking stoves and home solar systems to 300 vulnerable people in Ondo State on Saturday.

The distribution took place at the Dr. Olusegun Mimiko International Cultural and Event Centre, Alagbaka, Akure. The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) organised the initiative under the Sustainable Empowerment Programme (NSEP). Beneficiaries came from Ondo State's three senatorial districts.

What does the Ondo package include?

According to Ayodele Olawande, the Minister of Youth Development, the clean cooking stove responds to the health implications faced by women and children who spend hours gathering firewood to cook. The solar lighting systems let students study and small businesses operate more effectively without conventional electricity.

The support package works like a small-business starter kit. The government supplies the equipment, and beneficiaries will receive stipends to support their micro-businesses and keep the initiative going, Olawande said. The sequence puts productive assets in place before the cash that helps businesses run them.

Olawande tied the programme to the government's effort to build a self-reliant economy through technology. He said it also aims to create an ecosystem in which young people contribute to national development. The initiative forms part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to strengthen the economy through Nigerian-made products. The government chose Akure to make the initiative practical and organic, he said. He said it depoliticised beneficiary selection so ordinary Nigerians benefit regardless of political affiliation.

Olawande said:

“We are making it a reality already, and that is why we are presently in Akure. We have been to Kano, Katsina, Lagos, Oyo, and so many other places, even in the South, South-South and South-East.

“Presently, we are in Akure to make it practicable that we can make it Nigerian-made, we can produce it, and we can make it for use both in solar energy and even for vulnerable people for cooking.

“This is one of those things that Mr President has promised, that we want to make sure that we increase our economy and also provide more strength to it.

“So, one of those things is to have made it in Nigeria, and it is made by us and being used by us, and also to support a lot of people that want to go into the business and also to care for the young and old women.

“We are presently in Akure to make it organic. We are giving over 300 beneficiaries across the state, and we are not politicising it. We want it to get to Nigerians and to start using it.

“Today, we have brought this programme to Akure, Ondo State, where over 300 beneficiaries, both male and female, are gathered. We are also taking the initiative to other states.

“Ondo State is a land of great potential, rich intellectual heritage, and industrious people, particularly its young men and women.

“Most importantly, I want the beneficiaries to understand that this is not a political strategy. We are not saying that because we have empowered you, you must vote for us. This is about President Tinubu demonstrating that government can make promises and fulfil them. Today, we are witnessing the launch of a national sustainable empowerment programme.”

Where does the funding pathway lead?

At the planned launch of the Nigeria Youth Academy (NYA) programme on November 9, Olawande said the programme was designed to support innovation and entrepreneurship through grants ranging from N5 million to N20 million. The NYA announcement came as the minister described the Ondo equipment rollout and the planned micro-business stipends for its recipients.

What is NASENI building?

Khalil Halilu, the chief executive officer of NASENI, said the agency's mandate is to turn research and development into products that affect people's lives. He said the programme focuses on local production shaped by community needs and job creation. Halilu described the partnership between NASENI and the Ministry of Youth Development as a “progress in development.” He said more programmes are in the pipeline.

Halilu said:

“To produce locally produced items, which bring about employment, and also to have something factored for our communities. For example, our clean cooking stove makes cooking healthier and more efficient.

“Our home solar system that we distribute also helps small businesses have light throughout the day so that when kids are doing their assignments, there will always be light.

“In a nutshell, it is to translate research and development into an actual product that will impact people and also, most importantly, to make it sustainable.

“I’m glad to be in Akure with my brother, the Hon. Minister of Youth Development, who has been a partner in progress in development. We have done so many programmes together, and we will do so many more together.”

The next stated checkpoint is the planned November 9 NYA launch, which carries grants of N5 million to N20 million. Olawande said the government will take the equipment initiative to other states, while Halilu said NASENI has more programmes in the pipeline.