Abstract

The solution to poverty is gainful employment. There are many things the government can do. One of them, which does not cost the government a dime, is to create an enabling environment for sustainable employment. Another is to grant loans without collateral to beginners. The government can empower its citizens. The World Bank has been trying to cooperate with different governments and organizations to make this happen. What is empowerment, one may ask? Alsop and Heinsohn (2005:5) gave an idea by saying that “Empowerment - that is, enhancing an individual’s or group’s capacity to make choices and transform those choices into desired actions and outcomes - is an increasingly familiar term within the World Bank and many other development agencies”. Empowerment is giving power to individuals to sustain their lives by themselves. It is giving a helping hand to one who is in need so as to make a living. Apart from the government or any other body helping individuals or groups, one can also help himself. There are many things one could do by himself and for himself. An enthusiastic person can engage in manual labour, where the tool needed may only be the God-given energy, or the employer may provide the tools for the work. People need money to start business but they cannot fold their hands for money to run to them. Even if you are a graduate of whatever discipline you should not wait until you find a suitable job. Engage yourself with something while you wait for the real thing. According to Unegbu’s unpblished colloquium paper delivered in 2014 at Babcock University (Unegbu, 2014:3):