The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has launched the BTO CARES initiative in Ondo State, a community development programme designed to provide direct support to vulnerable residents, artisans, students, traders and unemployed youths.
The initiative, launched in Akure by Ondo Community Connect, is aimed at complementing infrastructure projects with interventions that address the immediate social and economic needs of people at the grassroots.
The programme will focus on five key areas: emergency support, education, artisanship and skills development, business development, and the protection of vulnerable people and youths.
Speaking at the launch, the Coordinator of BTO CARES, Mrs Iretidola Akinrowo Ojekhoa, said the initiative was established on the principle that community development must place people at the centre of every intervention.
She said Tunji-Ojo had facilitated several infrastructure projects across communities, including transformers, boreholes, solar lights, schools and clinics, but recognised the need to complement such projects with direct assistance to residents.
According to her, the initiative was inspired by the question of what infrastructure meant to a resident still unable to afford school fees, medical bills or basic livelihood opportunities.
She said BTO CARES was therefore designed to bridge that gap by taking development interventions directly to individuals and families who need them most.
Under the emergency support component, vulnerable residents will be able to access assistance with hospital bills, medical referrals, food packs and emergency shelter for disaster victims.
The education component will support school fees from primary to tertiary level, WAEC, NECO and JAMB examination fees, books and uniforms, while beneficiaries will also be linked to scholarship and bursary opportunities.
For artisans and skilled workers, the initiative will provide starter kits, access to shared facilities and equipment, skills acquisition and internship opportunities.
Traders and small business owners will also receive support through market and partnership linkages, including connections to intervention programmes operated by SMEDAN, the Bank of Industry and the National Directorate of Employment.
Ojekhoa said the programme would not distribute cash directly to beneficiaries, explaining that the organisers had adopted a “no-cash-at-centre” policy to promote accountability.
She said approved school fees would be paid directly to schools, medical bills to hospitals, while vendors would receive payment for approved business materials.
The initiative will also focus on widows, elderly persons, persons with disabilities and orphans, while unemployed youths will be supported with opportunities aimed at promoting self-reliance and productive engagement.
Ojekhoa said beneficiaries would be profiled and verified before assistance was provided, adding that emergency cases would be addressed within 48 hours, while standard cases would be processed within seven working days.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the occasion and APC chieftain, Chief Demola Ijabiyi, described BTO CARES as a practical response to the economic challenges confronting Nigerians.
He urged other political leaders to emulate the initiative by developing interventions that provide tangible support to constituents, particularly those facing economic hardship.
Traditional rulers at the event, including the Oba of Ipinsha, Oba Olufunmilayo Ojo, and the Oba of Irese, Oba Ahmed Saka, commended Tunji-Ojo for combining infrastructure development with direct interventions targeted at residents.
The launch attracted 14 traditional rulers from communities under the Ondo Community Connect network, community leaders, media executives and other stakeholders.
The event also featured the certification of graduates of the Bunmi Tunji-Ojo Skill Acquisition and Training programme and an exhibition of products made at the BTOSAT Production House.
Residents seeking support under BTO CARES can register at the programme’s office at 104, Oyemekun Road, Akure, or access officials during weekly outreaches to hospitals, markets, schools and communities.