The Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, Ph.D., GCON, on Saturday empowered 1,000 of his constituents with business start-up kits and capital, noting that the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has trickled down to them.

Speaker Abbas empowers 1,000 constituents with start-up kits, capital

…says ‘expect projects after projects’

The Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, Ph.D., GCON, on Saturday empowered 1,000 of his constituents with business start-up kits and capital, noting that the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has trickled down to them.

Speaker Abbas said this while addressing constituents at the distribution of household and micro-enterprise support equipment with seed capital to 1,000 beneficiaries in his Zaria Federal Constituency, Kaduna State.

He said, “My dear people, leadership is not measured by noise. It is measured by the lives it lifts. Today, 1,000 families will go home with tools, with capital, and with dignity. That is the politics I believe in. That is the covenant between Zaria and her representatives. By the grace of God, we shall keep renewing it. Project after project. Year after year.”

At the event, the beneficiaries were given Point-of-Sale (POS) machines, tables, chairs, and umbrellas, as well a seed capital of N100,000.

He said, “Some may ask: why POS machines? Why tables, chairs, and umbrellas? The answer is simple. Small businesses are the engine of Nigeria’s economy. They produce almost half of our national wealth. They provide most of our jobs. Think of the POS agent under her umbrella at the Kwarbai market. She serves people the big banks have forgotten. She feeds her family with honest work. So what we give today is not charity. It is capital. It is a stake in the economy we are building together.

“To the 1,000 beneficiaries, I have a charge for you. The N100,000 in your hands is seed money, not spending money. Plant it. A seed eaten today is a harvest lost tomorrow. But a seed planted in Zaria soil always grows. So guard your equipment. Keep honest records. Let your small table grow into a shop. Let your shop grow into a business. Let your business employ others. That is how one thousand beneficiaries become ten thousand livelihoods. We shall return next year. Let us find your businesses standing.”

He added, “And remember this. Today does not stand alone. It is one chapter in a long book that we are writing together. Before today, 2,400 of our people received direct financial support to trade and to grow. Our farmers and youth received tractors, fertilizers, tricycles, and motorcycles. We have renovated more than 110 primary schools and 40 secondary schools.

“Every year, we pay WAEC, NECO and JAMB fees for thousands of our children. Our N5 billion scholarship scheme has reached about 30,000 students. We attracted an Education City of N80 billion, bringing four new tertiary institutions to this ancient seat of learning. We built a 100-bed specialist hospital and new primary health centres.

“Only last November, we broke ground on six new projects at once, including a Women’s Development Centre and a new College of Agriculture. My people, none of this fell from the sky. It came through your mandate. Today’s one thousand beneficiaries now join that story.”

While Speaker Abbas thanked President Tinubu for “rebuilding our economy with courage” and that “history will thank him for it,” he also appreciated the Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani, CON, saying, “Kaduna is fortunate to have him. And Zaria knows it.”

The Speaker said, “This work in Zaria mirrors what is happening across Nigeria. President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is reaching ordinary homes. Student loans are keeping the children of the poor in school. A new credit scheme is opening loans to ordinary workers. There is a new minimum wage. The new tax laws protect small businesses like the ones born here today. In the People’s House, we passed these laws. And we watch over them. Because a law that does not reach Gyellesu or Kufena is not yet finished work.”

Speaker Abbas went on to explain why his constituents should vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the coming general elections, citing various developmental and empowerment projects.

“Now let me speak to you plainly, as your son. Why should Zaria vote APC? Why should Kaduna? Why should the North? I will give you plain reasons. It is this APC government that created the North West Development Commission to rebuild our region. It is this government laying the AKK gas pipeline through our lands, bringing industry and jobs. It is this government rebuilding the road from Abuja through Kaduna to Kano and keeping the trains running.

“It is this government whose reforms are funding the projects you see. Here at home, an APC governor has made Kaduna safer and better than it has been in years. And do not forget the seat at the table. Your own son is Speaker of the House of Representatives. That seat carries weight. It brought the Education City. It brought the hospital and the scholarships. It brought this very ceremony. A tree bears fruit where it is planted. And this tree is planted in APC soil.

“So, I will say it clearly: If you want these interventions to continue, vote APC. Vote APC from top to bottom. Vote APC for President. Vote APC for Governor. Vote APC for the Senate and for the House. Vote APC for the State Assembly and for your councils. When the whole ladder stands together, projects move faster from Abuja to Zaria. Do not break the ladder halfway. In 2027, judge us by the evidence. Then vote the evidence,” he said.