READ AND COMMENT: IS CAEI FRAUDLENT IN ANAMBRA AS ALLEDGED? The South East zonal Coordinator of the Civil Awareness and Economic Empowerment Initiative (CAEI), Hon. Steve Ugwu cannot forget October 9th in a jiffy as he narrowly escaped being lynched by the red eyed Onitsha traders who held him hostage for more than 2hours demanding for the balance of their N50, 000 each or the tricycle promised them by the group. It took the intervention of the passersby and some journalists who came to cover the empowerment exercise before the young supervisor was let go. Recall that CAEI flagged off the National empowerment scheme in Anambra State in August this year which was attended by representatives of the 36 states of the federation where they promised to distribute tricycles, tractors, fertilizers, generating sets, pumping machines and about 185,000 bags of rice of which no single bag was seen at the flag off venue as learnt by Orient Daily. According to their Director, Information, Training and Mobilization, Hon. Livinus Obinna, the organization which he said is Non Governmental Organization, non profit making Organization and non political organization formed by people of like minds in Nigeria to discourage youth idleness and eradicate poverty in the country through economic empowerment. The promises turned sour at Total filing station, Nkpor in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, penultimate week when over 150 people drawn from the 21 Local Government Areas of Anambra State paid the initial capital of N50, 000 to obtain a new tricycle as agreed but the organisers on their own, imposed another N10,000 which they unanimously resisted describing such imposition as fraud. One of the irate youths, Nnamdi Echego from Ogbaru expressed shock that CAEI is tasking them to pay over N600,000 for a tricycle that is less than N300,000 judging from its standard. “We started the journey for this tricycle since 2010 when we picked the empowerment form with N1,000 and since then we have been attending seminars which we sponsor with our money. We spent over 5,000 in the Last seminar we attended at Women Development Centre, Awka after the flag off in August this year. They promised to issue us with certificate that can offer us employment in any part of the country which we see as a ploy to dupe us. Today, they asked us to come here for the tricycle after paying initial deposit of N50,000 which some of us borrowed to pay but were so surprised that they are asking us to pay another N10,000 here which they never told us. If we pay the N10,000, it will amount to 600,000 to a tricycle that can be obtained at the price of N300,000 or N350,000. We thought that they want to help us as unemployed youths only for them to turn us to money making venture” he vented. Another victim, Mr Willson Ugoenyi who was irked by the action of the organisation, alleged that they there is no sincerity in the CAEI empowerment initiative claiming that the State coordinator of the group intentionally disappeared to perfect his plan of defrauding them. This is our 5th time of coming here. Each time we come, if they don’t complain of the lost of the key to the warehouse, they will complain of insurance paper and all that. I must go home with my money today or my tricycle as agree” he harped. Orient Daily investigations revealed that the there were no evidence at the arena indicating the seriousness of the group to distribute the tricycles on the said day. Although, there were some tricycles in a compound behind Total Filling Station with the inscription, ‘CAEI’ on it. Some of which, are in bad shape even as some has no tyres on them.
Posted on: Mon, 21 Oct 2013 10:29:12 +0000
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