Gombe State government on Wednesday distributed 1,000 tricycles to youths. Beneficiaries are expected to use the tricycles for commercial operations to enhance their livelihoods.
Gov. Inuwa Yahaya flagged off the distribution in Gombe. He said the tricycles were given to beneficiaries under a loan package.
The governor added that the government secured the tricycles following a partnership with a manufacturing company, SIMBA TVS.
He said the gesture was meant to address redundancy and restiveness among youths and to assist them to become responsible members of society.
He added that SIMBA TVS would be requested to establish a branch of its assembly plant at the state’s industrial park currently under construction.
“My administration in recent times engaged about 27,000 youths to plant four million trees across the state. I recruited 500 youths into the Gombe State Security, Traffic and Environmental Corps and appointed 3,000 others as development facilitators with a view to providing jobs for them,’’ the governor said.
In his remarks, Alhaji Muhammad Sarki, Chairman, of the Tricycle Riders Association, lauded the governor for the gesture.
He said the association got more than the number of tricycles it asked for in its request to the government.
“Many of our members ride tricycles on a shift basis; one person will use it in the morning and another takes over in the afternoon or evening. They cannot afford to buy one. With this development, our members can now have tricycles of their own as a result of this loan. This will indeed enable them to maximize profits,’’ Sarki said.