Ooni Charges Firms On Youth Emancipation

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has stressed the need for private firms to play an active role in youth emancipation initiatives, in order to drive growth in the country.

He disclosed this at the weekend, at the unveiling ceremony of Isedowo, an empowerment initiative of Nigeria Breweries Plc (NB) through one of its brand, Goldberg, in Ile Ife, Osun State.

Isedowo is designed to equip artisans in the South West region of the country with support to grow their businesses, as part of NB’s commitment to the Yoruba culture and tradition inspiring entrepreneurship, thus impacting employment and income generation.

Besides, the initiative seeks to empower 100 participants across the region with a grant of ₦300,000 each, totalling ₦30m for all participants to support their businesses, which saw the emergence of the rewarding of the first set of entrepreneurs, who were selected as the best in Osun State.

According to the Ooni, the initiative would bring unity amongst the entire Yoruba speaking states. In his remarks, Marketing Director, NB, Franco Maria Maggi, said the empowerment initiative presented a mutually benefitting union between His Majesty, who is the custodian of the Yoruba culture, and Goldberg, a brand that not only respects the values and traditions of the Yoruba people, but also seeks to empower the young men and women in the region.