A former senator and first daughter of the late strongman of Kwara state politics, Sen. Gbemisola Rukayat Saraki has expressed her readiness to empower over 1000 Kwara youths with basic technical skills that can make them compete favorably with their counterparts anywhere in the world.

  The former gubernatorial candidate of ACPN, in 2011 general election in the state, stated this in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, while speaking with a youth mobilization group led by Mallam Abdulrazaq Gambari.

 Saraki, who was represented by Mrs. Olayemi Yusuf, said that efforts were already in top gear to ensure the successful take-off of the programme in December this year.

 According to Yusuf, the beneficiaries will be drawn from the 193 wards of Kwara state through a transparent, merit-based process that will culminate in the selection of the first batch of the beneficiaries.

 While the rigorous training lasts, beneficiaries will also be entitled to a token monthly to take care of their transportation and feeding.

Yusuf  said that the high point of the project is the provision of reasonable start-up capital for the beneficiaries at the end of each round of the exercise.

   Yusuf revealed that already finishing touches are being put on the Kwara Central Coordinating Office for the Gbemisola Empowerment Scheme (GBEMs) which is located at Ajikobi ward, Ita-merin area of Ilorin West Local Government,

“We have decided to take the project right into the heart of the grassroots. This is evident in the location of the office itself. By citing the office in Ajikobi, which incidentally is the ancestral home of the Sarakis, Sen. Gbemisola Saraki is further deepening her pact with the grassroots. She is further bridging the gap between her and the people at the grassroots, which is at the core of her campaigns and public service.”

Responding, the leader of the youth group, Mallam Abdulrazaq Gambari thanked Senator Saraki for always identifying with the youths of Kwara state. He particularly appreciated Saraki for insisting that merit and transparency will form the basis of the selection of the prospective beneficiaries. He recalled that similar approach ad been adopted during the distribution of multi-million Naira scholarship grants to deserving youths in secondary and tertiary institutions in the state in 2010.