A pro-democratic group, Young Professionals for Tinubu 2027, has unveiled a back-to-school initiative targeting 1,500 pupils in 15 public schools across Ekiti State.
The programme, which is aimed at providing educational materials to pupils, will also empower local artisans with 50 sewing machines and materials to produce school uniforms, bags and other items required for the project.
The Ekiti State Coordinator of YP4T, Abimbola Daramola, who unveiled the initiative in Ikere-Ekiti, said the beneficiaries would receive 1,500 school uniforms, 1,500 pairs of sandals, 1,500 school bags and about 5,000 writing materials.
Daramola said that the initiative was conceived not merely as a charity intervention but as an economic empowerment programme designed to create sustainable opportunities for families.
She explained that selected artisans involved in tailoring, shoemaking and bag-making would be provided with the materials and equipment needed to produce the school items.
According to her, the artisans would have about 10 days to produce the required materials, after which the sewing machines would remain with them to enable them to continue and expand their businesses.
She said, “Today, we are unveiling a back-to-school programme. We intend to give back-to-school kits to about 1,500 children in Ekiti State.
ALSO READ: No going back on King’s College concessioning — FG
“We are engaging parents who are into tailoring, shoemaking and bag-making and we are providing them with the materials and machines they need to produce the back-to-school kits.
“The good part of this project is that, because of what Renewed Hope stands for, putting real opportunities in the hands of our people, they are going to be going home with the machines, materials and business support. We want this to continue beyond this project”, Daramola said.
She added that the empowerment component was deliberately incorporated to ensure that the beneficiaries continued to derive economic benefits from the intervention after completing the production of the school materials.
She added that supporting local artisans would also stimulate economic activities in the state while addressing the educational needs of pupils from public schools.
The Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Monisade Afuye, commended Daramola for initiating what she described as a grassroots-oriented programme.
Afuye, represented by her Personal Assistant, Boye Adeboye, said that the initiative was commendable because it simultaneously addressed the educational needs of children and economic challenges confronting artisans.
She said that the programme would provide school materials for pupils while equipping tailors with sewing machines and other materials to produce some of the items.
She also attributed some of the developments being recorded in Ekiti and other states to the economic reforms of President Bola Tinubu, saying the reforms had enabled state governments to meet their obligations to citizens.
“President Tinubu, because of the economic reforms, has made it possible for virtually all the state governors in the country to fulfil their obligations to the citizens.
“Even across Ekiti State, there are roads that are being tarred, the tertiary institutions are being given their subventions and the infrastructure itself speaks volumes across the state”, the deputy Governor added.