Wheelbarrows Not Shared for Empowerment in Enugu—Group

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

A group known as the Enugu Youth Coalition has vehemently debunked reports making the round on social media that a council head in Enugu State distributed wheelbarrows to youth in her community as part of an empowerment programme.

In a statement issued by the coordinator of the association, Mr Edwin Obune, said outcome of a private investigation on the matter indicated that such never happened in the said area.

It was reported on social media that the Chairman of Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, Mrs Chinwe Ugwu, shared some wheelbarrows to youth in her council under hire-purchase system.

But Enugu Youth Coalition said the “story was distorted to ridicule the state government as the said wheelbarrows were procured for use by the Department of Works and Housing in Nsukka Local Government Area of the state.”

The statement claimed that it discovered that the Works and Housing Department had obsolete equipment which needed to be replaced for effective service delivery in the council.

“According to our investigation, the central idea was based on the fact that, the road maintenance, housing and construction works of the council are being done by contractors whereas, the council has its own staff who were collecting salary every month for the same job.

“So, as part of the cost-saving measure by the Chief Administrator, an approval was given for the procurement of relevant equipment for the Works and Housing Department to enable staff of the council perform optimally,” the group explained.

“Therefore, the commissioning of the procured wheelbarrows, which mischief makers tagged as poverty alleviation programme, were just the first set of equipment delivered for the Works and Housing Department of the council,” it explained further.

Concluding, the group urged “the reading public to disregard the distorted news report as that is the handiwork of mischief makers who never mean well for the state.”