Selected widows operating small-scale businesses in Obokun Local Government Area of Osun State have received grants to support their businesses from a former member of the State House of Assembly, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye.
The beneficiaries received the grant ranging from N30,000 to N50,000 at an event held in Ibokun on Tuesday to commemorate Oyintiloye’s birthday.
Speaking at the event, Oyintiloye, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Osun State, described the gesture as part of efforts to reinforce the initiative championed by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, to encourage women’s participation in small-scale businesses.
He explained that the intervention aimed to promote the dignity of labour and support women in starting small enterprises or expanding existing ones.
He berated those faulting Oluremi Tinubu’s advocacy for small-scale ventures, saying those that opposed the First Lady’s ideas were ignorant of the values inherent in honest work.
He maintained that economic growth is usually sustained by the strength of small and medium-scale enterprises, noting that many families depend on such ventures for survival.
According to him, those attacking the First Lady were “merely seeking political relevance and failing to acknowledge the long-term benefits of encouraging entrepreneurship at the grassroots.”
The statement further read, “There are many people who became very successful in business through petty trading, such as selling tomatoes and roasted corn. Today, their stories have changed, and they have eventually become employers of labour.
“Starting small, as encouraged by the wife of the President, is far better than engaging in prostitution or other illicit acts.
“The support for widows in my hometown is intended to further emphasise the importance of starting small and being self-reliant.”
He urged beneficiaries to utilise the cash donations for the right purpose, assuring them of constant support to further grow their businesses.
In his sermon at the event, the immediate past Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Obokun Local Government chapter, Pastor Benjamin Fabelurin, said birthday celebrations and personal reflection are biblically grounded and divinely inspired.
Quoting Psalm 90:12–17, he urged Christians to number their days with wisdom and commit themselves to purposeful living and positive impact.
