By CHRISTIAN OGBONNA

Federal Government on Monday in Abakiliki launched the Transporters Track programme for the South-East zone.

The programme is under the National Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Survival Fund and Guaranteed Off-Take Stimulus Scheme.

A member of the Board of Trustees of MSMEs, Mr Ubadigbo Okonkwo, who performed the launch, said that no fewer than 4,400 persons in Ebonyi would benefit from the programme.

Okonkwo said that beneficiaries, including commuter bus and taxi drivers, tricycle operators, commercial motorcyclists and mechanics, would get N30,000 grant as survival fund.

“This is a federal government’s initiative to alleviate the sufferings of transporters and reduce the effect of income loss in their business, especially during the COVID-19 lockdown,” he said.

In a remark, Mrs Ann Aligwe, the Commissioner for Human Capital Development and Monitoring in Ebonyi, lauded the federal government for choosing the state to launch the scheme.

Aligwe expressed happiness that the initiative would go a long way to boost the business of transporters and allied trades generally in the South-East.

The State Coordinator of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Mr Chigozie Asochukwu, said the beneficiaries were selected from 13 local government areas, transport associations and cluster groups in the state.

“The documentation has commenced and thereafter disbursement will start.

“This involves all transporters from community to community and the disbursement will be done through their associations.

The state Chairman, Okada Riders Association, Mr Paulinous Atam, described the scheme as a welcome development and urged members to make judicious use of the fund.

A beneficiary, Mr Nwancho Alo, expressed gratitude to the federal government for the gesture and promised to invest the money wisely. (NAN)