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Hon. Matthew Omonade presenting cash gift to a market woman during the flag-off of N23m grant to constituency in Ughelli North
Disturbed by the current economic hardship in the country, the member representing Ughelli North Constituency 1 at the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon. Matthew Omonade, has empowered 1,150 market women, artisans, and small-scale business owners in the Ughelli North council area of the state.
The cash grant totaling N23 million was in fulfillment of his campaign promises to the people of the area and to cushion the economic hardship through financial support for small business owners such as traders and artisans in the constituency.
Omonade, elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), flagged off the event at his Ovara-Umusu community in Orogun, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State.
The lawmaker noted that he was in politics to better the lot of his people through quality representation and empowerment of his constituents.
Addressing journalists at the event, Omonade said that he was motivated to give back to society and that he chose to go into politics. According to him, “I had a successful career as a legal practitioner, and I was motivated by the fact that our people deserved quality representation.
“The essence of electing people to represent us is giving them a position to hold in trust on behalf of the people, and once you are elected, it becomes a privilege given to you by God to ensure that the position is judiciously used for the good and benefit of the people.
“So, as an elected representative of my people, my primary responsibility is to ensure that I make use of every needed arsenal at my disposal in bettering the lives of my people and meeting them at the point of their need.
“I may not be able to do much, but I believed that with this cash grant, after I did a survey and discovered that there are some people in the market whose total capital is less than N5,000 to N10,000, and if you give them N20,000, it can help to improve whatever they do for a living.
“And if I could do more, I would have done more, but within the limit of my capabilities, I decided to reach out to my people, and by the grace of God, I am satisfied, fulfilled, and elated.
Hon. Matthew Omonade presenting cash gift to a market woman during the flag-off of N23m grant to constituency in Ughelli North
“I can use this money to buy cars or go abroad, but I think leadership is defined as the ability to impact the lives of your people, and if we can do that, then there would be good governance in Nigeria.”
“What we are doing here is not driven by politics; it is driven by the passion for humanity because I believe that the best religion in the world is not Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism but humanity, and that is what drives me, and it gives me great joy when I put smiles on people’s faces, and that is what motivated me in what I am doing today.”
Commending his gestures, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Christopher Obiuwevbi alias Ominimini, disclosed that Barr Matthew Omonade showed that he has the interest of the people at heart.
He said, “With what Matthew Omonade has done in ensuring that his people never lack while he represents them, as you can see today, his constituents are glad about this gesture.”
Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Ughelli North, Hon. Obakpororo, in his commendations, said, “This flagged-off unconditional grant to traders and artisans was initiated by our leader, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege during the COVID-19 era, and Omonade was part of the people that managed that fund.
“Now that he is introducing it into his political program, I think it is a very good idea because it is good to follow what is good. If you are delegated to carry out a task and, at the end of the day, you feel that task is worth imbibing and incorporating into your system, it’s worth encouraging.
“We have had a lot of persons that have represented us in the past in this constituency, and none was able to initiate this kind of move. A man who is doing the needful should be encouraged and made to perform more,” the party chairman added.
Some of the beneficiaries of the Cash Grant who spoke with newsmen expressed joy and gratitude to the lawmaker for keeping his campaign promises.
Mrs. Alice Akpore and Madame Ufuoma Okparaverho said, “Our honourable has boosted our businesses with the cash grant, and our joy knows no bounds. We are assuring him that we will judiciously make use of the cash to grow our businesses, and we pray God to bless him more.”
