The wife of the Director, Corporate Services of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Olajumoke Abegunde, has trained Persons Living With Disabilities (PWDs),

Abegunde through her Foundation Jummy iCare also trained over 600 women, young girls, in different entrepreneurial skills by a Foundation, in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

Apart from the training in bag-making, soap-making, sewing, among others, Abegunde also presented working tools to the graduands to start off the trades.

Nine among them received special gifts for being outstanding during the training. The first six women received electric tricycles, while the other three received electric motorcycles.

They included Abebi Bukola, Morenike Falohun, Omolola Omofemiwa, and Alomaja Titilayo, while Ejifoor Juliana, Omoyemi Oluwaleke, and Bolanle Adeniji received electric motorbikes.

Abegunde said the Foundation was created from a simple but powerful belief that humanity succeeds when we care enough to help.

“Our motto, “I care, therefore I act,” is more than words; it is a commitment to see needs, respond to needs, and help people discover the strength that already exists within them.

“The story of Jummy I Care Foundation is a story of hope becoming action. It is about women who have faced challenges but refused to be defeated by them, young people searching for direction, families needing support, and communities waiting for someone to believe in them.

“Our vision is not merely to give people assistance for today; we want to build people who can stand tomorrow. Through skills acquisition, entrepreneurship, education, empowerment, and opportunity, we are helping ordinary Nigerians become contributors to the growth of their families, communities, and our nation at large.

“Because when you empower a woman, you do not empower one person alone. You strengthen a family, you educate children, you improve communities, and ultimately you build a nation.

“This is why I would like to acknowledge the efforts of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for its emphasis on greater inclusion and participation of women in national development. When women are given space, confidence, and an opportunity to contribute, Nigeria becomes stronger.”

Abegunde stated that she’s training and empowering women for them to be self-reliant. She explained that she’s not into the gesture for political ambition.

According to her, “Everything about me is service to humanity. I love to give. I don’t like to see people suffering. And I continue to give. I realise that giving does not solve the problem. That we can’t be giving them fish. It’s better if we teach them how to fish, so that they can start fishing for themselves.

“No political ambition at all. This has always been me, for those who know me very well. This is me, this is my dream. This is my vision. This is what makes me happy. It has nothing to do with political ambition at all.

“I can’t quantify what I’ve spent. Because when you are giving, you don’t have to be counting. Because you’re giving from your heart. It doesn’t matter how much you are giving. Because it’s God that rewards those who give. So I don’t count what I give.

“I have a lot of foundations that support me, like Make Me Beauty Elegance Foundation, House of Destiny, and many more.”

In his address, the Executive Director, Corporate Services of Nigeria Delta Development Commission(NDDC), Hon. Abegunde, enjoined the beneficiaries to seize the opportunity offered them by the Foundation and ensure they take the skills seriously to better their lives.

His words: “I want to advise you to utilise this empowerment so that in one or two years from now, you would be talking great, because you would have become greater. You would make money with your businesses. These are my wishes for you.”

The Chairman, Council of Obas in Ondo State, the Olowo of Owo, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye, who was the royal father of the day, commended Mrs Abegunde for the gesture.

He said: “This is a great empowerment by Jummy iCare Foundation; this is unprecedented. You can see people whom God has blessed coming up to support the underprivileged in the society.

“I used this opportunity to congratulate the CEO of Jummy iCare Foundation, having the initiative to impact humanity. My prayer is that God in his mercy continues to bless her and her family

“I call other philanthropists to emulate this good initiative so that our society would be well ordered, people would be well empowered, so that poverty would be a thing of the past in our society.”

The CEO of House of Destiny, Dr Israel Olajumoke, one of the supporters of the initiative, spoke on Art of Profitable Entrepreneurs.

He enjoined women and Nigerians in general to be entrepreneurs irrespective of academic qualifications.

Advising the beneficiaries, Olajumoke urged them to transform their skills from local to global brands through packaging of their products.

He encouraged them to be resourceful, innovative, and creative in whatever they do.

Some hearing-impaired persons who benefited from the training and empowerment appreciated Mrs. Abegunde for accepting them when they arrived at the training centre uninvited.

They said: “We thought we would be rejected, but we were registered and trained.”

Abegunde launched an initiative for the training and empowerment of young men, the Boys To Men initiative, which was also launched.

Owolabi Olorunfemi, Adesida Emmanuel and Bashorun Oladapo Shofowora were saddled with the responsibility to midwife the initiative.

Bashorun Shofowora said the initiative is “to raise a generation of young men of character, purpose and influence who lead with integrity in their homes, communities, and nations.

“It is to equip young men with essential leadership skills, values, and mentorship through structured programs, role modelling, and community engagement that foster responsibility, emotional intelligence, and purposeful living.”

Please follow and like us: