March 08, (THEWILL) – President Bola Tinubu has assured Nigerians of his administration’s commitment to empower women, promote national development and redefine the future of the country.
The President, represented by George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, made this known at the official unveiling of the Nigeria For Women Programme in Abuja.
The programmes include: P-BAT Cares for Women E-market portal, National Women Helpline, Naija Save Nigeria Integrity/Transparency Brigade and Nigeria Be Informed National Broadcast Channel.
President Tinubu assured that his government would ensure that all programmes designed for Nigerian women were impactful and accessible to the intended beneficiaries.
Reiterating his commitment towards addressing challenges affecting women and vulnerable groups in the country, President Tinubu said, “My administration is committed to Nigerian women and this is reflected in my policies. It gladdens my heart to stand before you and tell you the future of women in Nigeria looks very promising.
“The Ministry of Women Affairs is working day and night, leaving no stone unturned to ensure that all your needs are met and exceeded, the Ministry has embarked on several notable projects.
“As a government, it is our duty to prioritise interest around the most vulnerable citizens, which are women and children, so that we’ll put this behind us.
“We are not just committed to women in Abuja and other urban centres. The government is committed to all the women in this country, particularly the most vulnerable who live in rural areas.
“The government needs to continually seek or implement policies that improve the lives of our citizens and need to be deliberate about reducing the struggles of Nigerian women and increasing the economic prosperity of our women.”
While calling for increased collaboration with international partners, and religious and traditional leaders, President Tinubu stressed the need to support reforms and policies that ensure national prosperity.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, noted the economic challenges and gender-based violence women and children face in the country.
Kennedy-Ohanenye said the programmes launched would address these challenges and ensure women participate in all areas, particularly economically and politically.
She said rice milling machines, cassava processing machines, garri frying machines, and other machines have been procured and distributed to some states as part of the programmes.
“It is time to empower those that we have trained to reduce poverty. We are taking so many machines because we are interested in economic sustainability to reduce the suffering women go through,” the Minister said.
Kennedy-Ohanenye expressed appreciation to the development partners, religious and traditional leaders, as well as other stakeholders for their support towards addressing the challenges.
Also, the UN Women’s Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Beatrice Nyong, stressed the need to invest in women to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
”We are dedicated to promoting innovative solutions to address the economic challenges confronting women and girls in Nigeria,” she said.
Also, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, stressed the need to improve access to girl-child education and recognise the role women play in economic and national development.
Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, called for more realistic programmes for women, as well as ensuring a strong follow-up and monitoring mechanism to ensure its success towards empowering women.
