The Executive Chairman of Biase Local Government Council, Hon. Edodi Edodi Eyong, has empowered more than 100 indigenes across the 11 wards of the council with equipment to support small businesses, while also providing a vehicle to the APC Chapter Chairman and motorcycles to ward chairmen to strengthen grassroots mobilisation and coordination.
The interventions are part of the Chairman’s broader grassroots development agenda, which has focused on economic empowerment, education, security, social welfare and political organisation since he assumed office in 2024.
Under the recent business empowerment programme, beneficiaries received practical equipment including deep freezers, sewing machines, generators, hair dryers and clippers, among other items intended to help them establish or strengthen income-generating ventures.
The initiative reflects the administration’s emphasis on providing productive tools rather than one-off assistance, with beneficiaries expected to deploy the equipment to build sustainable livelihoods and, in some cases, create employment opportunities for others.
The Chairman has also invested in youth development through a skills-acquisition programme that trained 55 young women in soap making, baking and pastry production, jelly production, body-cream production and perfume making, among other skills. The beneficiaries were subsequently provided with start-up cash to enable them to commence their businesses.
In the area of education, more than 120 tertiary institution students have benefited from the Council’s scholarship intervention. Selected undergraduates received ₦200,000 each, while postgraduate beneficiaries received ₦250,000 each to support their academic pursuits.
The administration has equally prioritised social welfare, with hundreds of women across the 11 wards receiving wrappers and cash support as part of efforts to cushion hardship and extend government assistance to vulnerable residents.
Edodi’s interventions have also extended to peace and security, with the Council responding to security challenges involving Biakpan and Etono 2, intra-communal clashes among Erei communities and the interstate crisis involving Biase and Ebonyi State.
In the political sphere, the Chairman, a former APC Chapter Chairman in Biase, recently presented motorcycles to APC Ward Chairmen across the council and a Hyundai Sonata to the APC Chapter Chairman, Rt. Hon. Bassey Sunday Bassey.
The gesture is expected to enhance the mobility of the party’s grassroots leadership, improve coordination across the wards and strengthen engagement with communities as political activities build towards the 2027 general elections.
Receiving the vehicle, Bassey appreciated the Chairman for the support, noting that it would enhance his mobility and strengthen grassroots coordination across Biase. The Paramount Ruler, HRH Apostle Nicholas Odum, who received a generator under the empowerment programme, also commended the Chairman for extending the initiative to the traditional institution.
Other beneficiaries expressed similar appreciation. Comr. Owai Obo, who received a generator, said the equipment would strengthen his business and help address the challenges posed by irregular electricity supply, while Mr. Egan-Ojoi Anakari, who received a deep freezer, said the intervention would enable him to venture into a new line of business.
The Chairman’s record has also attracted recognition beyond the local government, including a recent National Merit Award in Abuja, alongside other local awards and commendations. The recognition reflects the growing attention to his grassroots interventions and development initiatives.
The breadth of the interventions positions the Edodi administration as one focused on combining immediate support with longer-term investments in human capital and livelihoods. Through economic empowerment, scholarships, skills acquisition, social welfare, security interventions and grassroots organisation, the administration is seeking to translate government presence into tangible benefits for residents across Biase.
The approach is consistent with the People First agenda of Governor Bassey Edet Otu, which places the welfare, empowerment and prosperity of citizens at the centre of governance. In Biase, the Chairman’s interventions are aimed at bringing that philosophy closer to the people through programmes designed to improve livelihoods, strengthen communities and expand opportunities.
