- ……Donates ambulances to Akoko hospitals
In continuation of his empowerment series in Ondo North senatorial district of Ondo State, Senator Ajayo Boroffice yesterday empowered a total of 100 women and youths who participated in fashion design skill training.
The 100 beneficiaries, who went through the training at the modern skill acquisition centre in Oka Akoko, were all presented with sewing machines.
This was just as the Senator donated two ambulances to the annexes of the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, in Akokoland.
It has been almost eleven years of various empowerment programmes for Senator Boroffice, who is the Deputy Leader of the Senate.
Almost three years into his first term in office as a Senator in 2014, Prof. Ajayi Boroffice put together what till today still stands as the most elaborate empowerment event in Ondo State.
On that sunny day, Saturday, 31st of May, 2014 at Oka Akoko, about 300 people selected from the six local government areas in Ondo North senatorial district, were empowered with various items.
The items dashed out by Senator Boroffice that day included 22 Cars, 50 Keke Boroffice (Tricycles), 70 Generators, 70 Grinding Machines, 50 Sewing Machines and 20 Wheel Chairs for Handicaps.
It was a carnival like ceremony with the beneficiaries and guests singing the praises of the Senator who said that was the first of many empowerment programmes he had in stock for the people of the senatorial district.
This promise he followed up by organizing regular empowerment programmes and activities which have benefitted over 1000 people in the last ten years.
When he was elected for a third term in office in 2019 and consequently became Senate Deputy Majority Leader, Boroffice decided to empower more people in a special way by appointing 72 personal aides, the first of such from any Senator in the history of Ondo State.
The appointments made by the Senator included those of a Chairman of his Advisory Council, a Chief of Staff, 7 Special Advisers, 12 Senior Special Assistants, 11 Special Assistants and 41 Personal Assistants, all placed on monthly salary from his purse.
In January 2020, no fewer than 200 women benefited from another round of empowerment program of the Senator. At an event held at Oka Akoko, Akoko South West local government, the Senator distributed 72 grinding machines to women of the senatorial district, while 144 others went home with cash of N50,000 each.
Boroffice said the gesture was to show appreciation to the women for the support given to him during the 2019 general elections.
He said: “The essence of this event is to bring dividends of democracy to the people. These are women who have worked for us and we need to assist them. They have done well; in spite of opposition, they have remained resolute and did not allow me to be put to shame.
“We have now decided to give them some cash and pepper grinding machines.
One person from each of the 72 wards is given one machine while, two women from each ward, totalling 144 were also given N50,000 each,” he said.
The Senator stressed that the gesture would give the women sense of belonging in the APC government as well as in the senatorial district, adding that a lot of life changing programmes have been carried out to better the the lot of the people of the senatorial district.
“After the last election, we picked 100 people from each local government area and gave them N20,000, N10,000 and N5,000 respectively. Then another set of 68 people are being placed on monthly salaries of N150,000, N100,000, N75,000, N50,000, N45,000 and N30,000 respectively and we started the payment in December 2019,” he added.
A couple of months after empowering 200 women in his senatorial district, Boroffice extended the gesture to the people of the South and Central Senatorial Districts of the state, empowering 72 women with grinding machines and cash.
