– *IHONVBERE, A Representative Possessed With The Knack For Changing Owan’s Underdevelopment Narratives.*
*SERIES 2.*
In the first series of Hon Prof Julius Ihonvbere’s scorecard in the Hallowed Green Chambers of the National Assembly in the past 3 years, we took a helicopter view of his brilliance, robustness, efficiency and effectiveness on his legislative beat via his legislative enactments in the period under review.
In this second part of a proposed 4 series piece, we shall dwell on how the Owan Rep has kept faith with his constituents through;
*JOB CREATION- Training, Empowerment And Social Intervention Programmes.*
Knowing fully well that it is impossible for government to absorb all unemployed youths, Rep Prof Julius Ihonvbere has deliberately in the last 3 years maintained a steady and long term approach that is centred on creating employment opportunities for budding youths in Owan Federal Constituency by building their capacity which ultimately will make them self employed.
This job creation strategy has contributed significantly to unemployment reduction and has thus created both direct and indirect employment for Owan Federal Constituents.
Part of the strategies to attaining these feat are through empowerment Programmes and Trainings.
Prof Julius Ihonvbere has implemented over ten (10) programmes leading to well over four thousand (4000) Owanites being empowered with knowledge and skills for self employment.
These includes;
1. Training of youths on *Website Designs And Desktop Publishing* in collaboration with National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Federal Ministry of Environment. – *Trainees were provided with brand new HP Laptops.*
2. Training of youths on *Poultry And Fish* production in Owan Federal Constituency, Edo State, in collaboration with the Nigerian Institute of Animal Science, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
3. The Lawmaker also carried out a free SKILL Acquisition AND PRACTICAL TRAINING PROGRAMME aimed at exposing Trainees to learn skills, ranging from from Bow-Tie production, Shoes and Bags with locally made fabrics. This exercise was carried out by Heritage & Sports Colony International in collaboration with the Office of Rep Prof Julius Ihonvbere, with both phases of the programme holding in Owan East and West local government areas respectively.
4. Training of Youths and Women in Owan Federal Constituency, Edo State, on LEATHER WORKS in collaboration with Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology, Zaria, Federal Ministry of Science and Technology. Trainees were provided with Industrial Sewing Machines, Working Apron, other Tools including Scissors, Stretch Knives, Pliers and Hammer, Mathematical Sets, and Working Ruler’s to enable them set up their workshops.
5. Entrepreneurial Training in Agriculture for youths in Owan Federal Constituency in collaboration with Benin Owena River Basin Development Authority (BORDA).
The youths were taken through the various attractive businesses involved in the cultivation and processing of cassava which they can leverage on to make brisk business at particularly period of the year particularly for those who may not be interested in cassava farming as a vocational but can still do a number of business with the cassava crop without necessarily going into the cropping aspect.
6. Training of youths in Owan Federal Constituency on AQUA-PONICS System of Agriculture where they were taken through a series of training on how they can embark on fish farming while at the same time doing some crop cultivation in same location. The fishes being reared, they were taught provides the needed manure for the plants to grow adequately and produce higher yield while the plants in turn provides food for the fishes.
This training was done in collaboration with Advanced Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Laboratory.
7. Training of youths in Owan Federal Constituency on Grass cutter and Pig farming. Trainees were given live animals, feeds and some seed capital to enable them construct pens for their animals. The training program was done in collaboration with the Nigerian Institute of Animal Science which had seasoned professionals in attendance to give adequate tutelage to the beneficiaries.
8. Training of primary school Teachers in Owan Federal Constituency on Contemporary Models of Teaching in the Post COVID-19 Era. The training captured various preventive measures and contemporary ways of handling emergencies associated with the pandemic. The teachers were expected to inculcate in their pupils who are the end target of the training these preventive measures and ways to handle emergencies associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The training was done in collaboration with the Nigerian Institute for Educational Planning and Administration.
9. Moral/Cultural Programme on Cultism and Drug Abuse for youths in Owan Federal Constituency, in collaboration with National Institute for Cultural Orientation, Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation.
10. Seminar/ Public Sensitization on Environmental Protection and Distribution of Mobile washing hand drums, sanitizers and facemasks in strategic locations in Owan Federal Constituency. It was done in collaboration with the Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria, Federal Ministry of Environment.
11. Distribution of Empowerment Items to six hundred and fifty (650) youths and women in Owan Federal Constituency, in collaboration with Border Communities Development Agency. Beneficiaries were provided with the following, Industrial Sewing Machines, Towels, Hand Warmers, Electrical Stabilizers, Hand Driers, Standing Driers, Generators and Barbing Clippers.
12. Provision of Generators and Deep Freezers to thirty seven Groups and Associations in Owan Federal Constituency. Done in collaboration with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
In addition to the various empowerments, Trainings and Special Vocational Skill Acquisition Programmes which are geared towards self sustenance and sufficiency in various trades, Rep Prof Julius Ihonvbere has also facilitated more than twenty (20) full time Federal employment for Owan citizens at various Government Parastatals and Agencies.
**CONSTITUENTS’s HEALTH CARE.*
If there is one thing Representative Prof Julius Ihonvbere will not joke with, it certainly would be the physical well being of citizens of Owan Federal Constituency. Based on this fact, the Federal Lawmaker has a standing understanding with a medical facility in Owan Federal Constituency where he directs residents with various health challenges to go for examination and treatment, whilst also sending monetary support to many others in various locations in and outside Owan Federal Constituency.
In addition, Hon Prof Julius Ihonvbere recently rehabilitated the Iloje Health Centre which he personally built some years back through his Foundation and donated it to the local government Council for the use of the community.
He also recently facilitated the provision of Drugs and Hospital equipment to Evbiamen Primary Health Care Centre in Owan East LGA as well as Uzebba Primary Health Care Centre in Owan West LGA in collaboration with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Edo State command.
In a further display of his penchant for the healthy living of his Constituents, Hon Prof Julius Ihonvbere recently organized a free medical outreach in collaboration with Olomosis Specialists Eye Care centre where Owan residents with various degrees of eye defects and other related ailments were offered free treatment. Free drugs and reading glasses were given to beneficiaries of the medical outreach program which was held in four locations across Owan Viz, Afuze, Sabongidda-Ora, Otuo and Uzebba in order to reduce the burden of distance on the beneficiaries. Over one thousand residents from Owan Federal Constituency benefitted from the four day free medicare exercise.
In a similar vein, Hon Prof Julius Ihonvbere has continually reached out to his Constituents in their moments of tribulations and needs through dolling out cash support, and in many other instances, setting up trades and businesses for some.
There is no gainsaying the fact that Ihonvbere is a clear definition of what a pro-people representation is all about. He is a friend to the downtrodden hence his doors are always flung wide open for all Owan Constituents irrespective of social status anytime he is home.
And his office in the National Assembly is always welcoming to Owanites and you do not require any appointment or letters of introduction for you to be attended to.
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