City Boy Movement Empowers 1,749 North-East Youths With Keke, Solar Panels, Sewing Machines

The City Boy Movement has commenced the empowerment of 1,749 youths across the North-East geopolitical zone with various livelihood-support items aimed at promoting self-reliance and reducing unemployment.

The first phase of the empowerment programme was flagged off in Maiduguri, Borno State, on Sunday, with the National Co-Patron of the movement, Shettima Kashim Shettima (Amir), leading the distribution ceremony.

Items earmarked for beneficiaries include Keke NAPEP, refrigerators, solar panels, kiosks, wheelchairs and sewing machines.

The initiative, according to the organisers, is designed to provide practical economic support to young people and strengthen livelihoods across the region.

The event opened with a welcome address by Engr. Ibrahim Abba Umar, Executive Director, Technical Services, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), and North-East Zonal Director, Youth Mobilisation of the APC 2027 Presidential Campaign Council.

Umar described the programme as a landmark initiative aimed at addressing some of the economic challenges confronting young people in the North-East.

Speaking at the ceremony, Shettima commended the resilience and commitment of youths in the region, particularly their support for the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.

He described the empowerment programme as the first phase of a broader initiative that would eventually extend to other parts of the country.

“This is just the beginning,” he said.

“The City Boy Movement is committed to ensuring that young people in the North-East and beyond are given the tools they need to be self-reliant and contribute meaningfully to nation building.”

The Director-General of the City Boy Movement, Hon. Francis Oluwatosin Shoga, commended the National Co-Patron for initiating the programme, saying it demonstrated the organisation’s commitment to practical youth development and service delivery.

Also speaking, the Borno State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Hon. Sainna Buba, said the initiative was consistent with the objectives of the Renewed Hope Agenda.

Buba assured residents of Borno and the wider North-East that more development initiatives and dividends of democracy would reach the region.

Representing the Borno State Governor, the Chief of Staff to the Governor also commended the City Boy Movement for the initiative.

He said the empowerment of young people with income-generating tools would contribute to reducing unemployment and strengthening livelihoods across the region.

The organisers said empowerment items allocated to Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe states had already departed Maiduguri for onward distribution to beneficiaries in the respective states.

Some beneficiaries who received items at the Maiduguri ceremony expressed appreciation for the initiative, describing it as a significant intervention for youths in the region.

They thanked the leadership of the City Boy Movement for what they described as a timely gesture and for prioritising youth empowerment.

The City Boy Movement said it remained committed to its stated objectives of “Empowering the Youth, Building the Future, and Strengthening the North-East.”