Caption: His Imperial Majesty, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II (middle) flanked by other traditional rulers from the Southwest region and staff of Nigerian Breweries Plc at the unveiling of Goldberg’s Isedowo, a youth empowerment initiative at the Ooni’s palace in Ile Ife, Osun State on Thursday.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II has launched Goldberg’s empowerment scheme, Isedowo and commended Nigerian Breweries Plc for the initiative at the flag-off of the campaign on Thursday, 31 August.
The event, which held at the palace of the revered monarch in Ile Ife, Osun State, had in attendance prominent Obas and chiefs from the Southwest region of the country.
The Imperial Majesty expressed his appreciation for the youth emancipation initiative and commended Nigerian Breweries at the occasion for taking a bold step at improving the lot of small scale entrepreneurs in the Southwest region.
“On behalf of my brothers from the seven Yoruba speaking states, I thank Goldberg lager beer and Nigerian Breweries for this community partnership with the Yoruba people. By leading the way to support the businesses and entrepreneurial potential of artisans in the Southwest, you have challenged other corporate bodies to give back to the society where they operate,” the monarch declared.
The King further called on all Yoruba youths who are skilled in trade to grab the opportunity to showcase their business potential and be rewarded.
The Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Franco Maria Maggi declared during the occasion that Goldberg was honoured to identify with the King through Isedowo. He added that the empowerment initiative presented a mutually benefitting union between His Majesty, who is the custodian of the Yoruba culture, and Goldberg, a brand that not only respects the values and traditions of the Yoruba people but also seeks to empower the young men and women in the region.
“We believe that as the custodian of the Yoruba culture, your blessings will rub off positively on Isedowo. It will set it on a path of achieving the objectives of positively transforming the lives of its beneficiaries with spill over effects on the larger economy by way of increased job creation and income,” Maggi said.
The occasion also witnessed the rewarding of the first set of entrepreneurs who were selected as the best in Osun State.
Adeola Olajide, an auto mechanic from Abeokuta, Ogun State who resides and works in Ile Ife, Osun State, emerged as one of the beneficiaries and was rewarded during the occasion. He expressed his gratitude to Goldberg for the support, adding that the initiative was a welcome development.
“When I heard the news on radio, I realised this is one of a kind in this part of the country, and I decided to grab the opportunity. I am very happy to have emerged a winner today and with my reward, I intend to buy equipment that would bring about ease in my business,” he said.
Interested participants who wish to benefit from the empowerment scheme are required to showcase their business ideas and how it impacts on the society at any of the Isedowo centres around the Southwest region. There will be a screening of these participants and their business ideas across the region after which the top 100 participants will be rewarded with a grant of ₦300,000 each, totalling ₦30million for all participants to support their businesses.
Goldberg is known across the Southwest region as a leading supporter of culture and tradition and through Isedowo, it has become the brand that shares in the economic aspirations of the people.
