The Enugu State Government has attracted mixed reactions online after distributing grinding machines to 520 residents as part of activities marking the 2026 International Day of the Poor.
The state’s Ministry of Human Development and Poverty Eradication distributed two machines to beneficiaries in each of the state’s 260 wards.
According to the ministry, the recipients were selected from the Social Register of Poor and Vulnerable People, with the initiative designed to improve their livelihoods in a state where the poverty rate is reportedly 63.1 per cent.
The government also disclosed plans to extend support to beneficiaries through agricultural inputs and digital skills training to promote sustainable income opportunities.
However, the initiative has sparked mixed reactions on social media, with some users questioning whether distributing grinding machines is an effective approach to poverty reduction, while others raised concerns about electricity supply, the programme’s reach and the need for more sustainable economic interventions.
Watch video: https://x.com/KelOnovo/status/2117901566640627950?a=IpO-elWXZUXRVC2MjiQ&s=20
Some reactions include:
@Youthinprocess: This is 2026 Enugu state government
Doris of Enugu @Shla73836432: Over ₦400 billion in revenue, tracking only behind Lagos and Rivers states, and he came up with this?
Achalugo✝️😇 @AchalugoN61804: Ndi Enugu kwobanu beans and tomatoes
C in C
@Charleschidube: I dey crazy state
BD @Rinsoye_d: Hope they’re all made in Enugu products
Emmanuel Nwokedi @EmmanuelNwoked8: Grind your way out of poverty 😂
Matt @mattmike324: This is not empowerment rather this breeds even more poverty. Govt should factories, firms, manufacturing companies that’ll aid employment not this. The outrageous cost of procuring could’ve been put to better use
Cashew plug @okekeonyemauche: Nigeria politicians are so out of touch
Zaniolo @Olisafincy: What sort of madness is this in 2026?
OJIOFOR @PRNC_OF_D_EAST: How can corn and beans grinding eradicate poverty?
This primitive method of empowerment should be abolished