Rice Sharing Is Not Empowerment – Soludo schools Politicians

The Governor of Anambra State, Charles Soludo has warned politicians against gifting foodstuffs to the people in the name of empowering them. He made the submission while speaking at the launch of the “One Youth, Two Skills Solution” one-day workshop organized by the Anambra State Ministry of Youth. The training with the theme; “Raising Smart Entrepreneurs for a Prosperous Anambra State,” held at the International Convention Center, Awka.

Soludo stated that sharing foodstuff is not the same thing as empowering the people as the given foodstuff would finish and the people will be back to square one. He instead advocated  for training and entrepreneurial programmes that can make the people work for themselves and earn for survival.

His word said, “We have come to begin a process of productive empowerment in which you teach people how to fish, not giving them fish. Politicians and some other people are doing what I call phantom charity; sharing bags of rice to youths is not empowerment but rather, giving them food for the day because the next day, they will be hungry. We will give you the skill and training. Our agenda is to have one youth with at least two skills. That is the future of Anambra, Nigeria and Africa.”

Soludo promised that his government will make more funds available for the people of the state, particularly the youths to be trained and become independent business owners.

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The Governor said, “We will approve more billions in coming years for the development of special skills and programmes we have for our youths. Today and tomorrow belong to you. In Anambra, we are hardworking. The true “Onye Anambra” don’t beg but asks for help to stand on his toes. When he is established, he starts deploying others into the business. This is the journey we have begun.

“My government is a government of the youths, for the youths and by the youths. The majority of youths constitute my cabinet. The 0.01%, the few hundred who gets into the bush, who seek an easy route of livelihood, involved in kidnapping and crime cannot define who we are. A true “Onye Anambra” will not take up guns to rob, attack, kill or decapitate someone’s head who hasn’t done him no wrong. Our people work hard legitimately.”

The Anambra State Governor stated that education is key to having a good state, with the promise that his administration will recruit more teachers and other professionals as needed.

“To lay the foundation, we must have an educational system for the 21st century. The quality of our educational system is defined by the quality of teachers and teaching. We are recruiting over 5000 teachers in the coming weeks. We can’t have schools without teachers. Our hospitals need doctors and nurses so that when you fall sick, you will have somewhere to go to,” he stated.