Sopuruchukwu Nnaji
The Abeokuta Premium Lions Club has unveiled a N10m empowerment initiative to help young entrepreneurs in Ogun State expand their businesses and achieve financial independence.
As part of the first phase of the programme, the club disbursed N1 million to three selected beneficiaries to support their businesses through a combination of non-refundable grants and interest-free loans.
The President of the club, Lion Lukman O. Abiose, disclosed this on Sunday at the club’s second business meeting of the 2026/2027 service year, held at the Abeokuta Sports Club.
Abiose said the initiative was introduced as part of activities marking International Youth Month and was designed to ease the economic challenges confronting young people while encouraging entrepreneurship.
He said beneficiaries would repay the loan component of the financial support over 12 months, while the grant portion would not be refunded.
According to him, the initiative is part of the club’s broader humanitarian commitment to improving the lives of young people and enabling them to contribute meaningfully to the economy.
“Our goal is to make life better for the youth, improve society and ensure we raise productive young individuals who contribute meaningfully to the economic ecosystem and the nation’s economy through our humanitarian drive,” he said.
Abiose said the first beneficiaries would be monitored and mentored to ensure that the funds were used for the purposes for which they were granted.
He added that subsequent phases of the N10 million empowerment fund would be rolled out progressively.
The club president explained that youth empowerment is one of the eight major areas of focus of Lions Clubs International, alongside sight conservation, childhood cancer, diabetes awareness, environmental protection, hunger relief and peace initiatives.
He said the club would also continue to implement other humanitarian projects, including programmes focused on childhood cancer, sight and vision.
Also speaking, the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Oluwaseyi Babaseyi, commended the Lions Club for using humanitarian interventions to address some of the social conditions that could predispose youths to crime.
Babaseyi said empowering young people and supporting vulnerable members of society could contribute significantly to crime prevention and community stability.
“Where you help the downtrodden and show service to humanity as a core focus, it directly impacts our ability to fight crime. Prevention is always better than cure,” he said.
He noted that community-based initiatives that addressed economic and social challenges could complement the efforts of security agencies by tackling some of the root causes of criminality.
The Charter President of the club and Chairman of the Empowerment Fund, Lion Shafi Amusa, said nine proposals were received for the first phase, but only three applicants met the selection criteria.
Amusa said the three successful beneficiaries received between N200,000 and N300,000 each, depending on their individual business needs.
He added that the application window remained open for other interested Leos to submit proposals for consideration in subsequent phases.
According to him, the objective goes beyond providing financial assistance, as the club also seeks to develop financially independent young people who can contribute to their communities and eventually become full-fledged Lions.
Amusa said beneficiaries would receive mentorship, professional guidance and direction to enable them to manage their businesses effectively and build sustainable enterprises.
He urged the beneficiaries to use the funds strictly for the purposes stated in their proposals, stressing that responsible utilisation of the money would determine the success and sustainability of the empowerment scheme.
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