By Akinwale Kasali
As part of his contribution to the development and empowerment of his constituents, Hon. Abubakar Muhammad Tahir, Councillor representing Mayana Ward in Gusau, Zamfara State, has distributed Bags of Charcoal and Charcoal Pressing Irons to residents of his Ward.
The Empowerment Items, according to Hon. Tahir, were distributed to Constituents to support Small-Scale Economic activities within the Community.
The initiative it was gathered, is aimed at enabling beneficiaries to engage in petty trading and other ventures that require Charcoal and Charcoal Irons.
The Items were meant for residents of Mayana Ward in Gusau as part of Hon. Tahir’s outreach to his constituents.
This development has further questioned the genuity of Empowerment Programmes and items distributed to Constituents, as many observers see the said largesse as mere mockery of the public, electorates and constituents by politicians.
It would be recalled that
in May 2024, Senator Rufai Hanga, representing Kano Central Senatorial District, had distributed 5,000 White Pieces of Clothes and Clay Pots to the People of his Constituency as Burial Materials for their loved ones.
The Constituency of the Senator has 15 Local Government Areas in Kano State.
His aide, Dawuud Auwal, had shared a link to a report about the project on his Facebook page, where he showered encomium on the Senator for his foresight, and wrote: “Alhamdulillah Alhamdulillah Alhamdulillah Alhamdulillah”.
This development generated controversy and mixed feelings with questions begging for answers.
He was heavily criticised for such action, with many labeling it as misplaced priorities, in the face of abject poverty and penury in the land.
In March 2024, a member of the House of Representatives representing Aba North/Aba South Federal Constituency, Alex Mascot Ikwechegh, distributed cooking stoves and other items to constituents in Abia State as part of an empowerment programme.
On April 29, 2022, SaharaReporters reported that Senator Aliyu Wamakko had donated wrappers and cash to indigent women in Sokoto.
Wamakko, a former governor of the State, represents Sokoto North senatorial district.
The donation was described as part of his perennial gestures to the beneficiaries to cushion the effects of poverty as they celebrated the Eid-el-Fitr.
In Year 2020, Hon. Abdullahi Mamudu, who represented Rijau/Magama Federal Constituency of Niger State in the House of Representatives, distributed Wheel Barrows to youths in the constituency as part of an employment programme, according to media reports.
Also in 2018, Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa, representing Doguwa/Tudun Wada Federal Constituency of Kano State, distributed Cutlasses and Hoes to constituents under a youth empowerment initiative, which was covered by local media outlets.
Similarly, former Kano State Governor, and All Progressives Congress, APC, former National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, said he spent N208 million to empower Mai Shayi or Tea Sellers in the State by giving them items like cartons of noodles, crates of eggs, spaghetti, bread, cocoa beverages, liquid and powdered milk, brown and white sugar, nylon and cups.
Distribution of ridiculous items as empowerment gifts to Constituents by Politicians is not new in Nigeria, but Netizens has described the distribution of Charcoal and Charcoal Irons as outrageous and an insult to the sensibility of Nigerians, urging electorates to stop accepting such ridiculous items for empowerment purposes.
Netizens has however stormed the Social Media to air their views on this development.
@kelvin_Tim, said, all this nonsense can only happen in the North, am not surprised. This politicians are wicked”.
@Seunroneky, “Our Politicians don’t have conscience, how can you distribute Charcoal and Charcoal Iron and label that empowerment, that is why there is impoverishment and poverty in the North”.
@thelordpriss, “This cannot happen in the South West, he would have been stoned to death. Unreasonable set of jobbers”.
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