Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State says no fewer than 100,000 women across the state have benefited from the World Bank-supported Nigeria for Women Programme (NFWP).
Abiodun who described women’s economic empowerment as a strategic tool for fighting poverty and strengthening families and communities spoke in Abeokuta when he received the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Ms. Amina Mohammed.
The occasion was when Ms. Amina Mohammed, joined the Governor in interacting with beneficiaries of the programme on Monday at the Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
The governor said his administration deliberately embraced and took ownership of the programme because it provided an opportunity to reach women at the grassroots who would have otherwise remain outside conventional structures of political and economic empowerment.
According to him, empowering women should go beyond appointing them to political offices to providing them with the resources, skills and opportunities required to build sustainable livelihoods, support their families and live with dignity.
“When the World Bank shared with us the Nigeria for Women Project, we did not only key into it; we took ownership of it.
“We saw in that programme the opportunity to empower women because not all women are able to contest elections or be appointed Commissioners or occupy political offices.
“We saw the opportunity to touch the lives of these women, empower them to support their households and themselves, and give them a sense of dignity,” he said.
Abiodun said the programme’s impact had reinforced his administration’s conviction that investing in women was an investment in the wider economy and the future of families.
He noted that economically empowered women were better positioned to provide for their households and contribute to community development.
He said Ogun’s implementation of the programme had attracted delegations from more than 25 states seeking to study the state’s model, adding that political commitment remained critical to replicating its success.
The governor expressed the hope that the initiative would be expanded across the country so that more women could benefit from the intervention.
“It is my prayer that this deepens across the length and breadth of the 36 states and the FCT.
“I am filled with so much joy today that you are here and that you can see first-hand what we have been able to do with women empowerment,” Abiodun said.
The UN Deputy secretary-general commended the governor for providing seed funding for the programme and, more importantly, for believing in the capacity of women to grow their businesses and transform their communities.
Mohammed praised the beneficiaries for demonstrating resilience, creativity and enterprise, saying their progress showed what could be achieved when women were given the right support and opportunities.
“You have shown that you started small and you are growing, and what we want is for every woman in Ogun State who can benefit to have that benefit,” she said.
The UN official said she would take the Ogun experience back to her home state and share it as an example of what could be achieved through deliberate investment in women.
“I will take this initiative back to my state so that everyone will know that a seed was sown in Ogun State for the women of Nigeria, and that seed is growing.
“A country is as strong as its women,” Mohammed added.
The State Coordinator of the Nigeria for Women Programme, Mrs. Bola Fadairo, disclosed that Ogun was among the first six pilot states when the programme was launched in 2020.
She said the state had exceeded its target by 105 percent, with 8,759 Women Affinity Groups comprising 247,273 women established across the 20 local government areas.
Fadairo added that beneficiaries had received training in financial management, record-keeping, gender awareness, life skills and other areas designed to equip them with the knowledge and skills required to build sustainable livelihoods.
She said the scale of participation and the impact recorded across the state underscored Ogun’s commitment to creating sustainable opportunities for women to strengthen their livelihoods, improve household incomes and contribute meaningfully to the development of their communities.
(vitalnewsngr.com)
