An APC House of Representatives candidate, Mr Babatunde Hunpe. Has pledged to adopt the Alaba International market model to empower members of his constituency and tackle poverty, if elected.
Hunpe, who is a Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, made the promise in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday, in Badagry.
According to the candidate, there is a model Igbos at the Alaba International Market have been using to assist the younger ones by empowering them after they have served them for a number of years.
“We have gone to the Alaba International market to study this model and we are going to adopt this model in empowering our people.
“This will help to tackle poverty amongst our people.
“The model is that a master will train his apprentices for a couple of years. After the training, he will establish shops for them and follow them up for a year or two.
“After assisting them and seeing that they can now stand on their own, the master will then leave them,’’ he said.
Hunpe said that if elected, he would use the model to train people who are jobless, thas well as those youths that are unemployed.
“After they have been trained in different professions, we will establish them and follow them up for a year or two, and when they are able to stand on their own, we will leave them.
“We will do it in such a way that people will see the impact in them. I will use the office to stem poverty among our people.
“I don’t believe in giving my people N10, 000 or N20, 000 for empowerment. They will use the money for food and drinks and when next you see them, you won’t feel the impact.
“Whatever I do, I will ensure that it impacts appropriately on them,’’ he said.
Hunpe said that he would set up a `Think Tank’ among the youths from the local government and the two Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Badagry.
“These youths, who will come from different professions, will be advising us on the needs of their people.
“They will advise us on what to present to the House, as regards the challenges in their communities.
“These young ones will be reasoning for us because two good heads are better than one,’’ he said.
The APC candidate said that he had set up a Media Committee headed by Dr Paul Thovoethin, to ensure that all the activities of the party in Badagry get to the people.
“We want the people to know what we are doing in the party,’’ he said. (NAN)
