By JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON
President of Ikeja Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (ICCIA) aka the Poverty Fighters Squad, Dr. Edward Olutoke has said that his chamber specializes in putting up programmes to compliment governments’ efforts in fighting poverty in Nigeria and beyond.
He stated this during the association’s monthly dinner held last Sunday at the NUT Pavilion Hall, Alausa, Ikeja.
According to him, they’re planning to take the fight against poverty to a new level by putting up an empowerment programme that will recruit unemployed graduates into what they call EMPLOYMENT ACADEMY.
These job seekers will be placed on monthly stipend of N30,000 and regularly trained on how to land the jobs of their dreams and given entrepreneural skills for those who will like to set up their own businesses.
Each set lasts for six months within which each participant are expected to have gotten a job or started a business from different engagements they would have participated in.
Olutoke announced that this programme will be run by the Lagos Chapter of the Church arm of the Poverty Fighters Squad called Givers Embassy Worldwide (The First No Tithe, No Offering Church in the globe)
“Apart from engaging fresh graduates and paying them the stipend, the Church will also launch the Ikeja Chapter of Blessed Fruit Foundation, an NGO for widows and orphans founded by Prof. Sola Fosudo, to take care of widows and orphans in the society.
“The church exists solely to show forth God’s praise and empower the people at the lower rung of the ladder of life to get to the level they desire in life even when no tithe or offering is collected in the church.
“The Church started six years ago in Abuja and the Holy Spirit is leading us to have another chapter at the commercial capital of the country”, he explained.
Speaking at the well attended dinner, the President General of Nigeria Football Supporters Club, Dr. Rafiu OLadipo commended the Ikeja Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture boss and his chamber for their efforts in poverty alleviation in the country and hosting the entire supporters club members in appreciation of their selfless service to humanity over the years.
He used the opportunity to inform him that he has been made a patron of the club which Dr. Olutoke gladly accepted.
In accepting the offer, he announced that the investiture will hold on Sunday, July 30, 2023 after the inauguration of Givers Embassy Church by 9am which will be followed by the finals of the ‘Above 50 football championship which he’s sponsoring. The gold medalist of the tournament shall go home with N5m, silver N2m while the bronze will be N1m richer.
Highlight of the dinner was a dancing competition in which the winner went home with N100,000 while the first and second runners-up got N50,000 and N30,000 respectively.
A 75 year old grand father who participated in the dancing competition but could not finish because of his age was rewarded with N500,000 for showing good dancing skills at old age and series of testimonies.
