Ini Billie, Uyo
Thirty-nine youths from 31 Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State have received small and medium-scale grants to augment their businesses.
The 39 persons, made up of 13 male and 26 female youths, are involved in hairdressing, paint production, barbing, catering services, fashion design, fragrance production, baking, shoe making, farming, and soap making among other businesses.
Another beneficiary of the empowerment support provided by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Comrade Ini Ememobong to mark his 39th birthday celebration is Ukeme Ikot, a graduate of Electrical/Electronic Engineering from the Akwa Ibom State University, (AKSU).
Ikot who graduated with a CGPA of 4.90 has been offered a scholarship to study for a master’s degree in any ivy league university in the world by the Ini Ememobong Foundation.
The best graduating students of St. Mary’s Senior Science College, Ediene Abak, Abak LGA is also beneficiary of financial support from Ememobong, who is an ex-student of the school.
The foundation also donated a new worship centre to the Church of Christ, Edem Iyere in Ikono LGA. This is in addition to another church building donated to the Church of Christ, Awa Iman in Onna local government area some months ago.
Speaking on his contributions to the welfare of people on the theme, “Seeing Forward by Looking back” to mark his 39th birthday, Founder, Ini Ememobong Foundation said in Uyo on Tuesday, that the celebration was time for him to redouble his efforts in ensuring that politics is humanized and not politicize humanity.
“As I clock 39 today, a year shy of the famed 40, which is generally seen as the beginning of life, I look forward with great expectations to that great milestone, by looking back to the many blessings that the Almighty bestowed on me in the past 38 years.
“This retrospection gives me a firm assurance that the God who has been my foundation, guide and guardian these past years, will certainly be my compass in the journey ahead.
“As it is my disposition on days like this, I appreciate all whom the Lord has used to decorate my life and bring me to my current state. I trust the Lord to abundantly bless and reward them.
“My life travel partner Chi and our travel assistants, Ekemeini-Uloma, Ini-Onofiok and Iniekom have made this daily journey to self-discovery and purpose fulfilment a pleasure trip and I owe them a debt of gratitude.
“Today is indeed an excellent time to postulate on the future, by reminiscing on the past. This is indeed the time to redouble our efforts at ensuring that we humanize politics and not politicize humanity,” he stated.
Director of Humanity of the foundation, Mrs Uyai Edidiong Francis said the Commissioner picks a minimum of 100 school fee bills every session.
Francis stated that two of the 10 students on the Foundation’s full scholarship for tertiary institutions were recently offered scholarship for Master’s degrees abroad.
She mentioned that in addition to the welfare of individual students at both the secondary and tertiary levels, the foundation has extended care and attention to families of such brilliant, yet indigent students, saying brilliant students have no business struggling for their school fees.