50 Sewing Machines, Two Vehicles: Okpobor Takes Empowerment Drive To Isoko North
By BLESSING AGWE ODUGO
CHIEF Oghenekome Okpobor has taken a grassroots empowerment initiative to Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State, distributing 50 sewing machines to fashion designers and emerging entrepreneurs.
Okpobor, the Executive Director of Finance and Administration at the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC), made the presentation on Wednesday 16 September 2026, at his country home in Iyede.
The beneficiaries came from different communities across Isoko North. Each received a VODI Direct Drive Sewing Machine to support their businesses and improve their capacity to earn a living.
Okpobor said the intervention was designed to move beyond political speeches and provide practical support for families.
“Leadership must have a human face,” he said, adding that the focus should shift from simply giving people money to providing tools that can generate income repeatedly.
According to him, cash assistance can quickly disappear, while productive equipment can help beneficiaries build sustainable businesses.
The empowerment programme also had a political dimension. Okpobor presented two Toyota Sienna vehicles to the APC Executive Committees of Iyede Ward 1 and Ward 2 as part of efforts to strengthen the party’s grassroots structure.
He also linked the initiative to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s M.O.R.E. Agenda, saying the governor had created an enabling environment for people-oriented interventions.
The latest intervention, however, is only the beginning, according to Okpobor.
He disclosed that subsequent phases would extend support to hairdressers, barbers, welders and other skilled artisans in Isoko North and Isoko South local government areas.
That expansion could widen the programme’s reach considerably, particularly in communities where small businesses and vocational skills provide an important source of household income.
At the presentation, several community and political figures joined the beneficiaries. They included former Isoko North Council Chairman, Chief Philip Adheke; Chief Frank Esiwo Ozue; Barrister Ovie Umukoro; Chief Emmanuel Erezih; Hon. Emmanuel Ogeh; and the Isoko North APC Women Leader, Mrs. Endurance Ibru.
For the beneficiaries, the immediate focus will now shift from receiving the equipment to putting it to productive use.
That, ultimately, will determine the economic value of the intervention. A sewing machine becomes an empowerment tool only when it helps its owner secure customers, increase production, earn income and, potentially, create opportunities for others.
