ONWUASOANYA FCC JONES
Few days ago, the Ugwumba Enterprise Challenge had the grand finale of its third edition at the Benue Hall of the Abuja International Convention Center. Twenty finalists out of a pool of hundreds who initially entered the competition aimed at selecting some of the best business ideas of the competition. Twenty of them, drawn from across the length and breadth of Nigeria, all walked home, not just with cash rewards but better networks for their businesses and veritable ideas that would further empower their young businesses.
The contestant deemed to have pitched the best of the ideas, walked home with One million Naira cash price, while 700,000, 500,000 , 300,000 and 200,000 Naira were awarded to the first, second, third and fourth runner-ups. Consolation prices of 100,000 Naira were given to each of the best sixth to 10th contestant, while the remaining ten contestants all walked home with 50,000 Naira each.
Over the past ten years, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu has remained a recurring decimal in any equation that relates to empowerment of the youths and acts of philanthropy. During his years as a government appointee, he was acknowledged by even his rivals and critics as the Imo politician with the deepest care for youth empowerment and humanitarian investments. Unlike most politicians, the young political leader has continued to prove that he does what he does because of his love for humanity rather than as a strategy to win wider acclaim for his political ambitions.
Most times, politicians get involved in acts of philanthropy and sponsor empowerment schemes as a political strategy rather than out of genuine humanitarian inclinations. To some politicians, the little acts of philanthropy and empowerment are political strategies which exploit the poverty of the many for their own political advancements. But like in all things, there are always ways to separate genuine humanitarianism from political image laundering in the guise of philanthropy.
Political philanthropy is mostly seasonal and mostly carried out around election periods. For instance, there will definitely be more politicians giving out bags of rice in 2022 yuletide than there will be 2020, even though 2020 is one year when most people would most appreciate such assistance than at any other time, but there won’t be elections in 2021, so, most politicians would rather take the next available flight overseas than share the joy of the season with their constituents. You would also witness fewer empowerment schemes within this period, but there will be lots of them, including free medical outreaches, scholarships and many of such, as soon 2022 berths. Political philanthropists would sometimes spend 10,000 Naira on a humanitarian gesture and spend a million Naira or more to publicize an exaggeration of the act in the media. There is always a very bold line between the genuine humanitarian and the pretentious philanthropist. This is not to say that every politician who engages in acts of philanthropy is pretentious. There are few among them, whose acts of philanthropy are genuine and like in the case of Ugwumba Uche Nwosu, natural.
He genuinely explores ways to empower the next young man and would always freely act to try making the life of the other young man better. Truth is; a good amount of his humanitarian interventions are underreported in the media. Is it about job opportunities created for young people, business ideas funded, mostly outside his organization or helpful contacts freely given to hundreds of young people seeking opportunities for the advancement of themselves?
The current initiative that yearly empowers a number of youths who exhibit bright entrepreneurial ideas with startup capital for their businesses is one of the ways through which this exceptional leader of men has continued to create millionaires and fellow leaders across Nigeria.
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