No fewer than 105 Individuals, organizations and villages in Mburubu community in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State have benefited from a free grant to boost agriculture and local businesses.
The individual beneficiaries received between N200,000 and N500,000; each of the community’s seven villages received N1 million and the youths of Mburubu were collectively given a special grant of N3 million to encourage youths enterprise and innovation among others.
Presenting the cheques in the community on Saturday, the Enugu State Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Lawrence Ezeh, said that the gesture was meant to empower the grassroots.
Ezeh, who is a royal Prince from the community, said that the wide-reaching intervention aims to boost farming activities, uplift local businesses, and complement Gov. Peter Mbah’s administration’s mission to eradicate poverty from every home in the state.
According to him, this initiative is not a political gesture but a deliberate contribution to support Gov. Mbah’s economic vision.
“This is personal money, but I am driven by a shared mission with His Excellency, Governor Peter Ndubisi Mbah, to ensure that poverty is eradicated from every household in our dear state.
“We must ask ourselves every day: how are we supporting the government to bring prosperity to our people?” he said.
He appealed to the beneficiaries to use the resources judiciously so that “more people can benefit in the next round,” while calling on wealthy sons and daughters of Enugu State to emulate the gesture and give back to their roots.
“This money is not for lavish spending. It is for farming, for trade, for enterprise. Let it be seed capital that yields harvests of prosperity,” he noted.
The commissioner urged Mburubu residents to continue supporting the Gov. Mbah’s programmes; adding “The transformation of Enugu State requires unity of purpose. Let us walk hand in hand with the government.”
He, however, assured the community that more interventions would come if the funds are used wisely; adding: “This is only the beginning. Let these yield harvests of success that will multiply opportunities for all.”
The seven villages in the community, which included: Umudara, Uhuegbe, Uhuagu, Obinagu, Umunafor, Amanator, Amachi received N1 million each while both the men and women of the Umuogbuewu family among others got N1 million each.
Community members welcomed the gesture and support with visible gratitude, describing the grants as “timely and transformative.”
Chief Emmanuel Edeh, a beneficiary, praised Ezeh’s commitment to grassroots development.
Edeh said, “He is not just talking about change — he is making it happen.”
Another beneficiary, Mrs Cecilia Aniobi, who received N300,000, said, “This is the first time many of us are getting direct support without political strings.
Aniobi said that the grant would help her expand her cassava farm.
Among the notable individual beneficiaries were artisans, small-scale farmers, traders, and traditional community leaders; while Ezeh’s gesture comes at a time when food security and small business growth are central to Gov. Mbah’s strategic development plan for Enugu State.
By aligning his personal philanthropy with public policy, Ezeh had positioned himself as a leading example of public-private synergy in community development.
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| Dr Lawrence Ezeh |
