Hon. Jimi Benson, on Saturday, August 11, 2018, splashed various sums of money on traders across the six Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas in the division to boost their businesses. According to Benson, the cash was a free donation, which should not be refunded by the traders.
While addressing the traders, who gathered at his constituency office, the lawmaker revealed that he had continued to touch every nook and cranny in Ikorodu division positively. He disclosed that he still felt that he should do something special for the traders to help in alleviating their financial difficulties. To achieve this, he had a meeting with the Iyaloja General, Ikorodu Division, Taofikat Allison and had all the market leaders in Ikorodu division. Through the leadership of each of the markets, twenty five traders were selected in each market to be given, twenty thousand naira, (N20,000) each.
According to Jimi Benson, despite the numerous challenges and demands from the constituent, he would not relent in attending to the yearnings of the less privileged in all quarters of the division. He told them that his party, the APC, was poised to help them the more. He urged them to continue to support him so that they would keep on enjoying the dividends of democracy. He assured them that he would continue with his cash donation to boost businesses in Ikorodu division.
Earlier on, the Director-General of the I Care Foundation, Mayor Deen Sonwoola, told the members and leaders of the Market Men and Women Association gathered at the event that the cash donation was a free gift from Hon. Benson. He reminded them about the projects that the lawmaker had embarked on including facilitation of construction of eight schools for Ikorodu division, provision of an ICT centre, transformers, boreholes and numerous others. Sanwoola also explained that the graduands of the ‘Start-Up Ikorodu’ programme equally benefited from the financial support and they have been doing well in their chosen fields.
The Director-General also talked about the “I Care Food Bank” of Hon. Benson, which distributed five hundred (500) bags of food to five hundred indigent constituents every month. He urged market men and women that benefitted from the cash disbursement to use the money for their businesses judiciously and not spend it on frivolities. He pleaded with those who have not received the money now to continue to remain supportive since it was a continuous programme.
Iyaloja-General, Taofikat Allison, also commended Benson for his unprecedented support and thanked him for considering market men and women. She said the cash given was a good blessing since it was not a loan. She assured Benson that all the market men and women solidly support his second term bid and had all gotten their PVC in readiness for the election. Each beneficiary got twenty thousand naira (20,000) instantly at the event.
The Chairman of Ikorodu North and Igbogbo/Baiyeku LCDAs also joined Hon. Benson and Alhaja Taofikat Allison in disbursing the cash. The traders were very jubilant and thankful to Hon. Benson.
