...Says Women are driving positive change, shaping Nigeria's future
Khadijat Yusuf
Abuja
Nigeria's President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has described Nigerian women as drivers of positive change, who are contributing towards an equitable and sustainable development of Nigeria's future.
President Tinubu who was represented by Mr George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federal (SGF) gave the commendation at the Empower-Her - Nigeria for women farming, health, empowerment, justice, entertainment and fundraising programme in Abuja.
While pledging his continued commitment to women growth, the president said women are driving significant positive changes in all sectors of the society.
"From the bustling market to halls of academia to corridors of power, humble homes and villages, women are driving positive change and shaping the future. As the president of Nigeria, I am committed to advancing the cause of women empowerment and gender equality in our dear nation."
President Tinubu described the women empowerment initiative as a beacon of hope for a better future for women and girls to thrive and contribute meaningfully to the nation’s growth.
"We recognise the critical role our women play in providing healthcare and justice. They are the backbone of our communities and working tirelessly to provide their families and uplift their communities and contributing significantly to our nation’s development and progress."
He sighted limited access to education and healthcare, Gender Based Violence (GBV) and economic disparity affecting women, while also stressing the need to tackle them to drive development and opportunities for women to thrive and succeed.
"In empowering women in agriculture, we must prioritise investment in agricultural training, access to land and financial services for women farmers. This will enable women increase their yield, improve their livelihood and contribute to Nigeria’s food security. By doing so, we will unlock their full potential that will drive different economic growth.
"We must also address the health disparity that disproportionately affect women and girls. By increasing access to quality health care, education, economic opportunities, we can empower them to control of their health and wellbeing.
"In our quest for justice and sustainability, we must ensure women have access to justice and are protected from all forms of violence and discrimination," he said.
Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, speaking in her remarks said the money raised will be channeled towards addressing challenges and creating opportunities for women to thrive and contribute to Nigeria's development.
"I want to make it categorically clear that I didn't raise this money for Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, in case of people that love to nose around, people that just love to get involved in things that don't concern them.
"I raised this money today for the affairs of Nigerian women. So that whan the President said that the women should breathe, they will breathe,"she said.
Kennedy-Ohanenye, explained that part of the money would be used to establish mobile courts to expedite judicial proceedings of GBV cases and ensure victims gets justice to serve as deterrent to others.
"So I brought this money so that this job can move on. I can not continue waiting for this mobile court, spending so much money in the normal courts and not getting results because it takes a lot of time.
"That is why the mobile court will need to take off with two busses per state, starting with Abuja and Nasarawa state, which will start immediately.
"One will be remodeled to be a moving mobile court, while the other bus will be the raiding bus to take off my children from the streets.I can't continue leaving them there while men are defiling them," she said.
Chief Arthur Eze, a philanthropist and Chief Launcher, who donated N100 million to support the initiative, said the gesture would alleviate the hardship faced by vulnerable and poor women.
"The money is not for her (minister), but it is to help the poor, the needy who are dying for many years," he said.
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