SMEDAN to buy N6bn motorcycles, tricycles
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The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria will spend a total sum of N6.2bn on the purchase of motorcycles and tricycles as empowerment programmes for Nigerian youths and women, according to its 2024 budget obtained by Sunday PUNCH.
This is despite a full or partial ban by 12 state governments and the Federal Capital Territory on the operations of motorcycles. The governors, in different reports said the embargo was part of measures to curb rising insecurity.
The states include Cross Rivers, Kaduna, Enugu, Akwa-Ibom, Kano, Rivers, Abia, Anambra, Adamawa, Borno, Kwara and Zamfara.
The agency, saddled with the responsibility of assisting small and medium-scale enterprises to overcome poor infrastructure in the management of business operations and accessing financial services amongst other challenges, earmarked the substantial amount for the empowerment.
4.3M
It also indicated plans to procure official vehicles for selected traditional rulers in the six geo-political zones at the cost of N5bn and construct two link roads in Enugu State for N440m.
Further analysis of the budget showed that SMEDAN intends to pay for a supply of keke napep to the underprivileged in the 36 states of the federation at the cost of N2.53bn.
Also, the agency said it would pay N500m for the supply of tricycles in eight local governments of Sokoto North Senatorial District to cushion subsidy removal and N50m for the provision of motorcycles for youths in Okija, Anambra state.
