For The First Time in History, Oyo Barbers Association Splashes 10 million Naira Empowerment on Members

….1,000 clippers, 300 sterilising machines, fans, mirrors, dustbins, and others deployed

The Oyo State Barbers Association (also known as Atorise) has unveiled a bank-financed empowerment scheme targeted at 3,500 members in its first phase as part of efforts to strengthen the businesses and livelihoods of barbers across the state.

The chairman of the association, Chief Sabitu Jelili, popularly known as JELAD, disclosed this during an empowerment program held at the Oyo State Secretariat in Ibadan

Jelili said the initiative was conceived as a practical response to the economic challenges confronting members and the need to provide them with essential equipment to establish, improve, and expand their barbering businesses.

According to him, the project was conceived in collaboration with the immediate past chairman of the association after both leaders discussed ways of introducing a sustainable empowerment program that would benefit members across the state.

He said, “When we discussed what we could do for our members to empower them, we agreed that we needed to come up with something practical that would directly affect their businesses and livelihoods.”

Jelili explained that the association subsequently approached a bank for financing to procure the equipment, with the long-term objective of extending the scheme to members across all the 33 local government areas of Oyo State.

“We went to the bank to borrow money so that we could carry out this empowerment for our members throughout the 33 local governments. This is not something we want to do for only one or two areas; we want it to get to our members across Oyo State,” he said.

The chairman disclosed that the association had procured more than 1,000 clippers, over 300 sterilising machines, more than 300 mirrors, over 300 standing fans, over 300 solar-powered fans and more than 1,000 dustbins, among other equipment for the empowerment programme.

He said the first phase would cover members from Lagelu Local Government, Ona Ara Local Government, Ido-Inu Kan LCDA, and Ajorosun LCDA, with more than 3,500 beneficiaries expected to benefit.

“For this first batch, over 3,500 people will benefit. We are starting with four local governments and LCDAs, including Lagelu, Ona-Ara, Inu-Kan, and Ajorosun,” Jelili said.

He, however, clarified that the empowerment items were not being distributed free of charge, stressing that the initiative had been structured around affordable payment plans to make it easier for beneficiaries to acquire the equipment and repay the cost.

“It is not free. Each empowerment item has a specific payment plan for the beneficiary, but we have made the payment very easy so that our members will be able to pay back without putting themselves under unnecessary pressure,” he said.

Jelili added that the association deliberately sourced the equipment at factory prices to ensure that beneficiaries would not have to purchase the items at higher prices often associated with retail markets.

“These materials were gotten at factory prices, and we are giving them to our members at a very, very affordable price. The idea is to make sure that our members can access what they need for their businesses without finding it too difficult financially,” he said.

The chairman said the initiative was also aimed at giving members a greater sense of value from belonging to the association, noting that membership should go beyond paying dues or attending meetings.

“We want our members to enjoy being members of this association. We want them to see the benefit of belonging to the association, and that is why we are putting things like this in place,” Jelili said.

He disclosed that the association currently had more than 15,000 members across Oyo State, explaining that the large membership base informed the decision to implement the empowerment program in phases.

“We are over 15,000 members in this association, so we can not say everybody will receive something at the same time. That is why we are starting with the first batch, and we will continue from there until we are able to reach more of our members,” he said.

Jelili said the association intended to use the first phase as a foundation for expanding the scheme to other parts of the state, adding that the leadership was committed to ensuring that members in the remaining local government areas were also reached.

He further appealed to the Federal Government and the Oyo State Government to support the association with additional empowerment programs and interventions.

“We are calling on the federal government, the state government, and local governments to support this scheme. We also want them to support us with empowerment programmes like this because there are many of our members who need support to improve their businesses,” he said.

According to him, stronger government support would enable the association to reach more beneficiaries and create greater opportunities for barbers and other small business operators within the sector.

The chairman said the empowerment initiative was one of the early steps being taken by the new leadership following its inauguration the previous week, adding that the administration would focus on programmes capable of producing tangible benefits for members.

He also acknowledged the contribution of the immediate past chairman to the project, describing the collaboration between the old and new leadership as important to ensuring continuity in the association.

Jelili said, “The last chairman and I worked together on this project. We discussed it together and agreed that we needed to do something meaningful for our members. Leadership may change, but the welfare of our members must continue.”

He expressed optimism that the initiative would not only improve the working conditions of beneficiaries but also help them expand their businesses, attract more customers, and create additional employment opportunities.

The chairman said the association would continue to explore partnerships with financial institutions, government agencies, and other stakeholders to improve the economic prospects of its members.