The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, has endorsed Goldberg’s empowerment scheme, Isedowo, and commended Nigerian Breweries Plc for the initiative during the kick-off of the campaign.
The event, which held at the palace of the monarch in Ile-Ife, Osun State, had in attendance prominent obas and chiefs from the South West.
Oba Ogunwusi expressed appreciation for the youth emancipation initiative and commended Nigerian Breweries at the occasion for taking a bold step at improving the lot of small-scale entrepreneurs in the South West region.
“On behalf of my brothers from the seven Yoruba-speaking states, I thank Goldberg lager beer and Nigerian Breweries for this community partnership with the Yoruba people. By leading the way to support the businesses and entrepreneurial potential of artisans in the South West, you have challenged other corporate bodies to give back to the society where they operate,” the monarch said.
He called on all Yoruba youths skilled in trade to grab the opportunity to showcase their business potential and be rewarded.
Marketing director of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Franco Maria Maggi, declared during the occasion that Goldberg was honoured to identify with the Ooni through Isedowo.
He added that the initiative presented a mutually benefitting union between Oba Ogunwusi, who is the custodian of the Yoruba culture, and Goldberg, a brand that respects the values and traditions of the Yoruba people and seeks to empower young men and women in the region.
“We believe that, as the custodian of the Yoruba culture, your blessings will rub off positively on Isedowo. It will set it on a path of achieving the objectives of positively transforming the lives of its beneficiaries with spillover effects on the larger economy by way of increased job creation and income,” Maggi said.
The occasion also witnessed the rewarding of the first set of entrepreneurs who were selected as the best in Osun State.
Adeola Olajide, an auto mechanic from Abeokuta, Ogun State, who resides and works in Ile-Ife, emerged as one of the beneficiaries and was rewarded during the occasion.
He expressed his gratitude to Goldberg for the support, adding that the initiative was a welcome development.
“When I heard the news on radio, I realised this was one of a kind in this part of the country, and I decided to grab the opportunity. I am very happy to have emerged a winner today and, with my reward, I intend to buy equipment that would bring about ease in my business,” he said.
Interested entrepreneurs who wish to benefit from the empowerment scheme are required to showcase their business ideas and how it impacts on the society at any of the Isedowo centres in the South West region.
NB said there would be a screening of the participants and their business ideas across the region, after which the top 100 participants would be rewarded with a grant of N300,000 each to support their business.
“Goldberg is known across the South West region as a leading supporter of culture and tradition and, through Isedowo, it has become the brand that shares in the economic aspirations of the people,” NB said.