Abia State Government has given out 202 different brands of vehicles to Abia youths for the fourth phase of its Youth Empowerment Programme.
This brings to 700, the total number of vehicles so far given out by the government to the youths since the inception of the programme about a year ago.
Speaking while handing over the vehicles to beneficiaries at the Michael Okpara Auditorium, Umuahia, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Emma Nwabuko explained that the programme was designed to better the lots of youths in the state.
Nwabuko also explained that the vehicles which were branded and registered by the government were always given free of charge.
According to him, the gesture was not only to make Abia youths gainfully employed but to be useful to themselves and the society.
In his remarks, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Youth Affairs and Development, Prince Maduka Uwadi asked the beneficiaries not to use the vehicles for commercial purposes, resell or deface them, warning that any person caught going against the guidelines would have his vehicle withdrawn.
Uwadi announced that the fifth batch of the exercise would hold before the end of December.
Meanwhile, two prominent Abia indigenes have donated 20 vehicles to the scheme. in support of Abia State Government’s-owned Ochendo Youths Empowerment Programme headed Mr Chinedu Orji.
The vehicles were donated by Friday Nwosu, who gave five Sienna vehicles and Chief Uche Ogah of Masters Energy, who gave 15 Passat cars. [Vanguard]
