Femi Onasanya
The recently introduced loan
scheme,christened "Okowo Dapo", by the present administration
in Ogun State for petty traders can be described as a timely intervention
that posterity will continue to celebrate.
The interest-free loan scheme
which is the brainchild of the Prince Dapo Abiodun led government is specially
designed for female traders with the aim of promoting small businesses
across the length and breadth of the Gateway State.
It is interesting to note that no
fewer than 2,000 women benefitted from the scheme on the day it was formally
launched while many other applicants are hoping receiving theirs in due course.
Of a truth, an initiative of this
nature would alleviate the pains traders go through in accessing bank loans and
quite a number of other loans that are very callous to womanhood. Many of these
strange loans schemes had in recent past sent women to untimely graves,leaving
their children in further pain of motherlessness and abject poverty.
In addition, the petty traders are
in no small measure among the forgotten class of the society but their roles in
the economic life of a state and nation cannot be overemphasized since they
make up a large chunk of the society.
Pathetically, they have over the
years been given little or no attention which had gravely affected the economy
of the nation at large. Funny enough, develop nations that recognise the power
of MSMEs have effectively harnessed it to achieve great things .
Across the globe, women and children
are the most vulnerable to attacks and economic hardship. It is, therefore
incontestible that many of these petty traders are the bread winners in their
various homes. In this part of the world, we have women who are into full time
farming,trade and many menial jobs in order to keep the family going. In spite of
the challenges occasioned by lean purse and meager opportunities, a number of
women remain dogged in their pursuit of academic excellence for their children
and they are giving it all it takes to give education to their kids. This makes
the business which is the mainstay of the family to suffer. Hence,the need to
make a proactive plan such as this Okowo Dapo is a right step in the right
direction.
The Oko’Wo Dapo initiative which is
devoid of political undertone and bureaucratic bottlenecks will go a long way
in enhancing Micro, Small and Medium scale Enterprises. It will thus make petty
traders to be self-reliant without having to continue to depend on family and
friends for daily needs. It will also afford them the opportunity to create
wealth on their own.
The launch of the initiative which
was part of the activities used to commemorate Governor Dapo Abiodun’s 100 days
in office, was received with warmth by the traders and their various
associations as they described it as an answer to their age-long
prayers.
Good enough, Governor Abiodun used
the occasion to inform the people that the scheme was one of the very many to
come as his administration would remain committed to improving the dignity of
human life as well as creating an enabling environment for business to thrive.
"Our women should not see
Okowo Dapo as their own share of the national cake but they should see it as
an economic avenue through which they would be gainfully
employed,improve their productivity, increase their income level and also
become employers of labour," the Governor informed.
The State's helmsman who further
hinted that the loan was not a dash neither was it another form of stomach
infrastructure effort to impoverish the residents, said that if well utilised,
the beneficiaries will have access to higher amount.
The Remo Prince added that the
economic empowerment Initiative was the demonstration of the commitment of the
present administration to make life more meaningful for the people and such
that will encourage private sector partnership with the State in its
"Building our Future Together" agenda.
Without doubt, going by the form
this Oko'Wo Dapo is expected to take, the need for transparency on the part of
the traders should not be something that will give the government a sleepless
night. One good turn,they say, deserves another.
It is,therefore, incumbent on
the beneficiaries to encourage the government to do more through transparency
and accountability.
Fortunately, Prince Abiodun, being a
serial enterprenuer knows what it takes to start from the scratch while the
individual has a big picture in mind. As such, a petty traders of today has a
mentor in the Governor who has enough capacity to be a model of hope to all and
sundry who has interest in going far in business.
Also, it will not be out of place if
the private sector sees this idea as an opportunity to leverage on without
waiting for a perfect weather. Obviously, if the Ogun State Government could go
as far as giving interest-free loan to boost MSMEs, then the hope of this
sector is brighter than ever.
In the words of Brian Hill, the
foremost author of bestsellers on economy, “MSMEs, or small- to medium-size
enterprises, have advantages that big companies don't. SMEs are the quick,
smart mammals among the behemoth big company dinosaurs.”
He added that, “SMSMEs often become
actively involved in the community, because they view themselves as members of
the community and care about the people who live there. Big companies are more
independent of the community, especially if it's a branch or division of the
big company rather than the home office. Big companies have little compunction
about moving to another city if it makes sense financially.”
Femi Onasanya wrote from Ogun State
Ministry of Information,Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta via
08036170135
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