The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Commissioner for Women Affairs

  • Oyo regenerates vigilance committee

    The Oyo State Government on Wednesday re-inaugurated the State Coordinating Committee on Vigilante Activities after a three-year break.

    Mrs Atinuke Osunkoya, the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Community Development, Social Welfare and Poverty Alleviation, said at a meeting that all stakeholders must abide by the aims and objectives of the body.

    According to her, the committee was re-inaugurated to sustain the existing peace that has been achieved in local communities within the state.

    Osunkoya,  who called for more women and youth engagement and inclusion in safeguarding peace, said that women were critical to peacebuilding in local communities.

    According to her, the vigilance group was established to complement the efforts of security agencies in reducing the rate of social vices in local communities.

    Read Also: 2019: Akintola and Oyo APC succession battle

    “Vigilante groups were established in all local government areas of the state to complement the efforts law enforcement agencies such as the Nigeria Police in order to reduce crimes such as burglary, vandalism, drug abuse and addiction, arson, kidnapping and other vices.

    “In order to achieve these goals, it is important to promote women’s engagement and inclusion in safeguarding the peace and security of our local communities.

    “The aim of the coordinating committee is to collect grassroots security reports and disseminate such to the relevant agencies for prompt action.

    “I want to commend the community leaders of Ibadan South-East and South West Local Government Areas for steps taken to pacify the youths in these areas when there was a threat to the security of lives and properties in October 2017.

    “It is my prayer that the Almighty God will continue to sustain the existing peace and tranquillity enjoyed in the state,” she said.

    “Our meeting today is crucial when we take into cognisance the gap that has been created due to the non-existence of a coordinating committee in the last three years.

    “We are to deliberate on how to sustain the existing peace in the state and I also urge us to be committed to harmonising our responsibility for maximum service delivery.

    “I want to urge us to be committed to this call to duty and make ourselves available as the need arises,” she said.

  • Commissioner warns care givers against child abuse

    Commissioner warns care givers against child abuse

    Mrs Bolanle Amupitan, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Kogi, has called on all care givers to stop abusing the children under their care.

    She gave the warning during the handing over of an abused girl – name withheld – to her biological father in her office in Lokoja on Friday.

    Amunpitan said that a case of child abuse was brought to her ministry on Jan. 2, by a well wisher who said she saw a girl who had been homeless since December.

    “Findings by the ministry revealed that it is not the first time of the girl was running away from home due to constant beating by the caregiver whenever her husband was not home,’’ she said.

    Commissioner implored care givers to always treat the children under their care as their own “because nobody knows tomorrow’’.

    The caregiver, Mrs Ikechi Ezechukwu claimed that the girl was stubborn and wicked.

    “She runs out of the house each time she is being scolded and at a time she was beating my 17 months old baby,’’ she said.

    NAN reports that handing over took place after much deliberation as the commissioner scolded and warned the care giver to desist from maltreating children under her care.

    She also warned her to learn to control her anger and understand children and ordered that the girl be returned to her parents.

    The girl was handed over to Elder Donatus Iheme of Bledon Supermarket, who represented her father to be taken to her biological father in Akokwa in Imo before Jan 7.

  • Katsina trains 479 women in skill acquisition in 5 years

    Katsina trains 479 women in skill acquisition in 5 years

    Katsina State Government says it has trained 479 women in skill acquisition and trades from 2011 to 2017 to enable them to be self-reliant.

    Dr Badiyya Hassan, the State Commissioner for Women Affairs, spoke at the graduation for the participants on Tuesday in Katsina.

    Hassan said: “The state government trained the women in tailoring, shoe and bag-making, knitting, soap and pomade making and perfume production.

    “The state government will give equipment to 21 women that excelled during their training in different trades.

    “It will also give each of the 479 women N5, 000 to start business.

    “The women multi-purpose training centre in Katsina will also issue certificates to all the 479 women that participated in the training,” she said.

    Read also: Katsina Govt to immunise 2.5m expectant mothers, children

    Hassan said that the state government was committed to empowering women and ensures the realisation of stable families in the state.

    She said that the state government had commenced the renovation of three skill acquisition training centres in each of the three senatorial districts in the state.

    The commissioner urged women to form cooperative societies to enable them to benefit from the loan facility granted by the state government to fight poverty.

    Earlier, Hajiya Fatimah Mohammed, the Principal, Women Multipurpose Centre, urged the state government to provide more training equipment in the centre.

    “The women multipurpose needed more training equipment to train more women in skill acquisition.

    “Many women want to be trained in the area of handcrafts, but we lack the facilities to cover all of them,” the commissioner said.

    The acting Sole Administrator, Kaita Local Government Area, Hajiya Ummah Abdullahi, advised the beneficiaries to make proper use of the equipment given to them.

    NAN

  • FG to empower women with N1.6bn – Minister

    N1.6 billion has been set aside by The Federal Government from the Government Enterprise Empowerment Fund (GEEP) to empower women and young girls monthly in eight states across the country.

    Hajiya Aisha Alhassan, Minister of Women Affairs, disclosed this during a one-day advocacy and sensitisation visit on Thursday in Minna.

    She said that the empowerment would provide micro-credit loans, especially for women in rural areas to develop their skills and become self-reliant.

    “The scheme will be piloted in eight states for a start and will target about 10,000 women beneficiaries per state.

    “Three states from North East and one state selected from each of the remaining five geo-political zones of the country. And already, the empowerment and training programmes have commenced in Niger State,” she said.

    Alhassan said that N200 million would be disbursed to the states through registered cooperatives, local trade associations and other community based groups.

    He added that the beneficiaries would be given N100,000 loan repayable within six months.

    She said that the loan would be disbursed directly to beneficiaries’ bank account through local banks and money agents to reach remote areas with no banking facilities.

    She added that the loan would also be interest free without collateral and that only five per cent would be charged to cover bank expenses and administering the funds.

    The minister, however, urged women to key into the initiative, to free themselves from poverty and rebuild the country’s economy.

    Similarly, Gov. Abubakar Bello of Niger commended the Federal Government’s effort at empowering women and girls, adding that such step would make them financially free and contribute to the nation’s economy.

    Bello, who was represented by his Deputy, Alhaji Ahmed Ketso, noted that government had made provision in the 2017 budget to give priority to women and youth empowerment.

    Mrs Roseline, Abara, the state Commissioner for Women Affairs, urged women to take advantage of the programme to empower themselves and improve their lots.

  • Children urged to speak out against violence

    Children urged to speak out against violence

    Children have been urged to speak out  whenever they are victims of any form of violence.

    Representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Nigeria and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Jean Gough, who said this, noted that most children are ashamed, fear blame, feel they will not be believed or afraid speaking out would not help them.

    Speaking at the launch of the Cross River State Campaign to end Violence Against Children (VAC) in Calabar, yesterday, Gough who was represented by Chief of Child Protection Programme, UNICEF, Abuja, Rachel Harvey, encouraged the children not to feel that way but to come out and say what their problems are so they can get help.

    Her words,, “My message to children is if you suffer violence it is a problem, it is not okay; if you suffer violence, it is not your fault; if you suffer violence, it is the person who did this to you that should feel shame, not you; if you suffer violence, speak out. Do not suffer in silence.”

    Children, she said, suffer physical, emotional and sexual violence.

    She said it was unfortunate that six out of every 10 children, (about 10 million children) in the country suffer various forms of violence.

    According to her, it was significant the launch was being done on the International Day of the African Child and commended the Cross River State government for being the second state after Lagos to do so.

    Gough said the state was setting an example for others in the fight against violence against children.

    She said the society has duty to prevent the malaise.

    Speaker of the Children’s Parliament, Miss Karen Ojogu, described VAC as a tragedy that has lasted for too long, damaging the psyche of children and called for concerted efforts to end it.

    She said the interest of children should also be considered when issues about the are discussed.

    “Children are the leaders of tomorrow, so our little voices should also be heard. A child is a human being, and also has rights as every other human,” she said.

    Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Stella Odey, said when children live in non-violent environments, they thrive with better learning and health outcomes and are able to maximize their potentials to be the best and grow into responsible adults who can contribute to the development of the society.

    Governor Ben Ayade, who was represented by his deputy, Prof Ivara Esu, who launched the campaign, pledged to always ensure that the rights of children will always be respected.

     

  • Fifteen “Skolombo” children to get free education

    Fifteen street children popularly known as “Skolombo Boys” were picked off the streets and offered free education during a rally organized by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Ministry of Women Affairs protesting violence against children in Calabar, Cross River State, yesterday.

    The children, who were picked up along the route of the rally, said they were on the streets because their parents died or were chased from home by their guardians.

    Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Stella Odey, said the state would not relent in its effort to ensure that the state is fit for children.

    She condemned parents who abandoned their children, sent them away to relatives or perpetrated any kind of violence against them.

    Child Protection Specialist UNICEF, Enugu Field Office, Mrs Nkiru Maduechesi, said violence against children is prevalent the state and country and more efforts should be made by the society to check the scourge.

    She urged stakeholders such as the government, security agencies, the media, traditional institutions, families among others to take the issue more seriously and step up the fight against it.

    The launch of the campaign on violence against children would be flagged of in Calabar today (Thursday) at the Tinapa Resort in Calabar, the state capital.

    Cross River would the second state to do so after Lagos State.

    It had been launched at the Federal level by President Muhammadu Buhari in September 2015.