SMEs Owners Smile as Diri Disburses Another N50m Grants

Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa

In continuation of it’s financial grants to Small Scale Enterprises (SME) to enable to boast the state economy, the Bayelsa state government on Tuesday again disbursed N50 million grant to a fresh batch of  210 small and medium scale enterprise owners in the state.

The disbursement of the N50m grant was for the December, 2022  beneficiaries, with each beneficiaries going home with N200,000 each. 

 As part of activities marking Governor Douye Diri’s second year in office anniversary last year, the administration kick-started a monthly financial support for SMEs in the state, tagged: ‘Women and Youths Empowerment Programme with benefitting individuals cutting across the 105 wards of the state.

Advising beneficiaries, the State Commissioner for Women, Children Affairs, Empowerment and Social Development who also doubles as Chairman of the  disbursement committee, Mrs Faith Opene hinted that in compliance with the extant fiscal policies of the Central bank of Nigeria, the N200,000 grants would be transferred into beneficiaries bank accounts.

She warned beneficiaries against squandering their grants, noting that the programme which commenced during the second year in office anniversary of the governor Douye Diri led ‘prosperity’ administration is intended to last to the end of the Governor’s time in office.

The Committee Chairman averred that from the inception of the empowerment programme, the state government has been releasing N50m monthly for it, saying that no person would benefit twice from it, as according to the her it is difficult to manuevre the system.

“This Government’s baptismal name is ‘Prosperity’. Governor Douye Diri is here to make sure that our people prosper in their businesses. Do you know that the economy of our state is not in the hands of we as Bayelsans? Just imagine that with this N200,000 you’re able to grow your business, and with time you have one or two other persons working for you. And within a few years you’ld see yourself having empowered others too. By so doing our state Bayelsa would be better for it, it would prosper, “the Commissioner said.