The Nation Newspaper

Tag: women

  • Ex-Army officer empowers women with N3.2m

    A retired Colonel in the Nigerian Army, Sunday Akinola has disbursed over N3.2 million to 67 women drawn from various quarters of his hometown, Ikere-Ekiti under a programme tagged “Women Poverty Alleviation Initiative.”

    Speaking at the inauguration of the scheme, Akinola, who explained that the gesture might continue throughout his lifetime, said the beneficiaries were not to pay back the sum of N50, 000

    disbursed to each of them.

    He encouraged them to make judicious use of the fund as it would boost his morale in expanding the programme this year.

    Akinola, who said the beneficiaries were expected to form a co-operative society through which they could build strong capital base for possible expansion of their businesses, noted that the scheme, which he said was in honour of his late father, Chief Akinola Oisa, would go a long way in turning around the economies of the womenfolk in the community.

    “This is the first phase of the programme; we hope to establish a co-operative society in memory of the late High Chief Akinola Oisa where a high percentage of Ikere women could draw from a trust fund from Wema Bank as loans to do their businesses,” he said.

    Delivering a keynote address at the event, the Ogoga of lkere-Ekiti, Oba Adejimi Adu Alagbado thanked the donor for the gesture, noting that he was impressed by the swell of positive developments being championed by prominent indigenes of the community since his ascendancy to the throne.

    He praised Akinola for keeping the fame of his late father who he noted died several years ago in the memories of the people of the community.

  • Free health services for women, elderly

    A group, the Lift Above Poverty Organisation (LAPO), has vowed to improve on its free health services for indigent women and children.

    It said last year, no fewer than 60,032 persons benefitted, while 10,609 were socially integrated.

    Its Executive Director, Sabina Idowu-Osehobo, said the health services included free testing for blood pressure, blood sugar, HIV, Hepatitis and malaria, adding that those with serious ailments were referred to health centres and hospitals.

    She spoke during a programme to mark the International Women’s Day with the theme: Pledge for parity, planet 50-50 by 2030, step it up for Gender Equality. LAPO’s sub-theme was: Advancing Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women.

    At the event were market associations, artisans, teachers, religious groups, transport groups, civil societies, as well as students.

    Two beneficiaries, Mrs Dolapo Kareem and Mrs Agnes Olowoye, said the free health tests helped them detect ailments early.

    Represented by LAPO’s Regional Manager, Lagos Vivian Evbotokhai, Idowu-Osehobo said women need to be empowered.

  • Wanted: Men and women to help Nigeria

    Sir: I am writing this piece with a broken heart. I am writing this piece with a deep sense of sadness. I am totally devastated because it seems to me that a vast preponderance of Nigerians prefer Nigeria to remain a nation of anything goes. I know that every country has its own builders and plunderers. I know that builders put things in place and make things work. I know that plunderers decimate and desecrate anything in sight.

    After nine months, my eyes have seen a lot and my ears have heard enough to believe that leaders of PDP have no conscience, no heart, no mind and no soul. In 16 years they pillaged, milked and plundered a vibrant nation to stupor. It was a big scramble for the leaders of PDP to take everything within their reach. They stole dollars and naira in billions and trillions. They never said enough is enough. It was primitive accumulation of anything in sight. No wonder nothing is left to even pay salaries of workers. I did not see any ambitious road projects in Nigeria in 16 years. There was no serious investment in modern infrastructure – good roads, bridges, resorts, high speed rail projects. There was no serious investment in security architecture, schools, hospitals, agriculture, transportation, human resources etc. It has been a case of looters take it all.

    Since President Buhari took over in May 29, 2015, it has been everyday, one new discovery of loots and more loots traced to different banks both in and outside Nigeria. To some people, it is a joke. To some people, APC government is a liar. To some of them President Buhari is trying to divert attention. But the truth remains that no nation on earth has been milked to the bones the way PDP leaders cleared everything in sight in 16 years.

    I had thought that their conscience would have been pricked and that I will see some of them showing some remorse and asking for forgiveness. What we hear are all these: “Buhari lacks capacity to govern” from the aged Prof Ben Nwabueze. Charlie Boy Oputa, Ben Bruce, Regina Askia are asking ‘Is this the change we voted for’; others which time and space will not permit me to remember and mention says “ President Buhari has no plans for the economy”.

    Now, President Buhari needs our help to build a new Nigeria. Committed, decent, honest men and women of deep character to stand up for Nigeria. I know millions of Nigerians out there are silently praying for this President to succeed. In the midst of the confusionists and haters of honest things, I have seen silent workers who want President Buhari and APC to succeed where Jonathan, others and PDP failed. I want these men and women to rise up to the occasion. Leaders of PDP and their cronies have garnered enough muscles and huge wealth in the past 16 years and they can use this to bring down the system if we permit it. We sleep all the time but the looters are awake 24/7and work 24/7. We must not underestimate the power of these workers of iniquity and reprobate minds. They need to be defeated and crushed. They are fighting in our various courts, they are fighting in the National Assembly, they are fighting in the Presidency, ministries, embassies, states, LGAs, and even markets etc. Corruption must not defeat President Buhari. YES WE CAN defeat corruption and Nigeria will grow.

     

    • Joe Igbokwe,

    Lagos.

  • Vlisco celebrate women

    Vlisco celebrate women

    Vlisco Nigeria, a fabric company celebrated women in style at their Ikeja City mall shop which is its first store. Staffs of the company as well as customers interacted well. It was like a family affair and one could hardly differentiate them.

    Marketing Manager, Vlisco Nigeria, Mrs Adaeze Alilonu, said the event was to celebrate consumers, particularly women and Tuesday being International Women’s Day, it was a perfect time. The event she said was also to kick start campaign for the women’s month. Adding that patronage has been wonderful since the store opened last October, Alilonu thanked customers and prospective ones as she she:”Patronage has been interesting we have a mix of consumers both young and old and business is growing gradually. We are very grateful to our consumers.”

    She added: “We manufacture African prints whose awareness is fast growing in Nigeria. Women use our fabrics often and for diverse outings, corporately, as casuals, and for occasions pushing the awareness further”

    Alilonu further mentioned that apart from selling the print, her company engages in empowering women; “We train women in tailoring skills, we have master’s program for them. Through our Corporate Social Responsibilities program, we have been able to impact skills. We strongly support the autism initiative of Mrs. Dotun Akande and also this year we are working strongly on a program that will help to train fashion writers.

    We are also partnering Dana air and will be giving out fabrics to female passengers. Apart from that, women that shop in our store will stand a chance of winning Dana air ticket.” She said

    Vlisco has been making fabric for over one hundred and seventy years and has over the year’s redefined fabric making in the fashion industry worldwide.

  • Senate votes against gender bill

    Senate votes against gender bill

    The Senate voted has against the Gender and Equal Opportunity Bill.

    The bill on Tuesday failed to pass second reading when it was put to vote at the sitting.

    Majority of the senators voted against the bill which seeks to promote equality, development and advancement of all persons in Nigeria.

    If the bill was passed, it would have guaranteed women’s freedom of movement, female economic activity and girls’ access to education.

    More details later.

  • Commissioner decries violence against women

    Commissioner decries violence against women

    Lagos State Commissioner for Home Affairs Dr AbdulHakeem AbdulLateef has condemned women abuse.

    AbdulLateef said it was wrong for people to abuse women, imploring women to see themselves as commissioners in their homes.

    He urged women to rededicate themselves to their primary responsibility.

    “A society starts from the home, to have a good home, women must rise up to their responsibilities,” he said.

    Attributing the increasing cases of social vices to poor parental care, he said women’s role was fundamental to proper child upbringing.

    The commissioner urged women to demonstrate good examples to promote societal value.

    “Women should develop more interest in their children. Today, many women especially nursing mother will leave their homes at dawn and will not come back until dusk”, he said.

    AbdulLateef said women should not be used as chattels, but celebrated.

    According to the commissioner, no one has celebrated women like Allah, who dedicated a chapter of the Quran, Suratul Nisai, to them.

    “Women are the children incubating factory. When you trained a girl-child, you have train the world. Women today are fighting for women liberation; this should not be their focus. Their focus should be how to take good care of the future leaders of this country. Focus on how the young ones will become professionals in different fields irrespective of the gender. Women should dress in a very modest manner and not in a seductive way that influences men negatively,” he stressed.

    AbdulLateef warned the public against thinking that it is not good to educate the girl-child, emphasising that no child should be denied education for any reason.

    “Women are not in any way inferior to men. It is unfortunate that women are used wrongly. Women are used to advertise tyres, bicycles and even men’s wears. Women should fight back to regain their lost glory and value system,” he added.

  • Women Festival: ‘Why we celebrate our women’

    Women Festival: ‘Why we celebrate our women’

    Women’s Festival, an event that celebrates the virtues of women in the south western part of the country, is said to have crucial roles in the development of every nation.

    The festival, according to the promoters,  is an equivalent of the  Halloween Festival in Europe and America.

    Highlighting the importance of the festival during the  2016 edition held at Epe recently, the Chief Promoter of the Olokun Festival Foundation, Chief Gani Adams, said: “This festival is held to celebrate our women. They are our mothers and have been empowered by the Almighty with special spiritual authority to oversee the affairs of men in the world. Though as a result of ignorance, some people have wrongly labelled women as the weaker sex. But the truth is that women are stronger than their men counterpart, especially in spiritual matters.

    “If you look very well, you would see that most successful societies in the world are those that give women a special preference in the order of importance. It is, therefore, not surprising that there is visible prosperity in countries like the USA and UK, where women are treated with much respect.

    |”Unknown to ignorant people, women form part of the instruments God uses in carrying out his plans for humanity. For example, if you see anybody that is tormented by witches, it is because God allows it to happen, either as a punishment for that person or to teach some lessons which may never have been learnt if that thing did not happen.”

    He dismissed the insinuation in some quarters that the festival is evil, saying: “It is surprising that those who condemn witches and relate them with evil have continued to celebrate the Halloween festival in Europe and America. It is funny that these people have failed to realize that the Halloween festival is celebrated in honour of women with spiritual powers.

    “The special place women occupy in our society cannot be overemphasized. In those days, women were generally regarded as wives whose only roles were to cook, clean, and take care of the kids. They were not accorded any better role, simply because the world was seen as a ‘Man’s world’.

    “But you will agree with me that, perhaps the most difficult job to do in the home is to raise a child. And for me, raising a child is not an ordinary task. Look around you, any successful man you see around you is the product of a hardworking woman and mother. Please, join me to give a loud ovation to our women and mothers.”

    Going down history lane, he added: “In medieval Yoruba society, we have stories of women who contributed a great deal to the development of their communities. The exploits of Moremi Ajasoro, Madam Tinubu, Efunsetan Aniwura and several others continue to evoke great feelings from us. I want to challenge our women to take a cue from these great women and stand up and take up the challenge to contribute to the development of their communities.

    “And back to the issue of Grandmothers. Researches have shown that they are capable of doing good things. We have heard stories about some mothers who deliberately become witches in order to offer protection and prosperity to their children.

    Witches can be very benevolent and helpful to humanity if they find very good reason to be. While it is true that there are bad witches, but the truth is that there are also good witches who carry out assignments given to them by the almighty. Their being good or bad to you depends on what you have done and what you deserve.

    “Witches work with the spirits and air. And that is why most of what they do cannot be physically seen or attributed. You will agree with me that it is same with science and technology.

    “ In several ways, witches and technology work in similar ways. And the only reason why we continue to see their bad side is because we have failed to realize their beautiful powers and accord them their due respect.

    Be that as it may. Whatever treatment we give to women, who are our mothers, is part of the larger negligence that our culture suffers today.”

    He pointed out that many people are suffering today simply because they have neglected the culture and traditions of their fathers, adding: “ To the best of my knowledge, every Yoruba son and daughter come from a particular home that has some form of traditional rites that are performed for new born babies. But because of civilization, they have forgotten about these things, and making such children suffer from the sins of their parents.

    “The Yoruba is a race that puts high premium on culture. Unlike many other races of the world, the Yoruba has kept their culture alive in every aspect of their daily lives.

    “At this point, I think it is important to know what culture is and its importance to man. Culture is defined as the totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought. These patterns, traits, and products are considered as the expression of a particular period, class, community or population.

    “Culture is the unique possession of man. Man is born and brought up in a cultural environment. Man is not only a social animal but also a cultural being. Man cannot survive as a man without culture. Culture fulfils our needs and represents the entire achievements of mankind.

    “It is with these constantly at the back of our minds that we have constantly rededicated ourselves to the promotion of Yoruba culture anywhere in the world. Our children must know their heritage, speak our language, eat our foods and wear our clothes.”

    As a very good student of history, he said: “ I have taken the time to study Yoruba history. And I stand here without any fear of contradiction that the Yoruba are not as intellectually poor or backward as some people may want us to believe. The African, particularly the Yoruba, possess a unique and robust understanding of the world long before the Whiteman stepped on our soil.

    “From now on, I implore you, Yoruba sons and daughters to carry yourselves with pride and hold your heads very high anywhere you go because you are noble children of the great Oduduwa.

    “As we gather here today to honour our mothers, I pray that they begin to smile on us and bring us good fortunes. May we continue to experience peace and development in Epe, the entire Yoruba land and Nigeria in general.

    “And finally, I want to use this opportunity to once again call on our governments at all levels to begin to see culture as a veritable tool to drive the people and the economy. More than any natural resources, human resources is the best of all the resources a people can be blessed with. It is the human that will make every other natural resource work in the best interest of the nation.

    It is in this light that I want to plead with our governments at all levels to begin to promote and invest in the culture of the Nigerian people.“

  • Seed firms accused of neglecting women farmers

    Global seed companies are failing to meet the specific needs of women farmers and provide them with the seeds they need, according to a study.

    The Access to Seeds index report 2016 found that seed firms focus their research on major cash crops, such as maize and rice without developing better varieties of other seeds that are important to female farmers in developing countries, the report says.

    This means that female farmers benefit less from advances in seed breeding and agricultural science than male farmers, the report’s authors warn.

    The report found that only three of the 17 global seed companies it studied have programmes that explicitly seek to take into account “women farmers’ input”.

    Women look for specific characteristics in their seeds and plants that men might be less aware of, says Coosje Hoogendoorn, head of research at the Access to Seeds Foundation, which aims to bridge the gap between major seed firms and smallholder farmers, and which wrote the report.

    For example, women prefer vegetables that can be cooked fast and grains that take less time to pound into flour, Hoogendoorn says.

    “This might be something that men will not be thinking about so much,” she says. But if seeds are easier to grind, it frees up time for women to do other things. “If women have more time for their farm, it helps them move out of poverty and become entrepreneurs,” she says.

    Regional seed companies are better at including smallholder farmers in research than their global counterparts, and could help close the seed gap for women, the report says.

    While global companies focus on breeding and developing new seed varieties, regional companies interact with small-scale farmers and local markets, feeding client preferences back to their global partners, the report says.

    Therefore, local firms could help global companies understand what female farmers need, says Ian Barker, the head of agricultural partnerships at the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture. Seed varieties that neatly match women’s needs already exist, but global companies are marketing these poorly because they lack awareness of women’s requirements, he says.

    “That could be one of the big values of this index: it shines a light on these areas that need attention,” he says.

  • ‘Enhance women’s rights to ensure development’

    ‘Enhance women’s rights to ensure development’

    A call has been made for the enhancement of women’s rights to ensure the development of mankind.

    Chairwoman of the International Women’s Peace Group (IWPG) Nam Hee Kim, made the call on March 8 in Seoul, South Korea at the event to mark the International Women’s Day.

    “If the most beautiful human beings do the most beautiful work, the work of peace, there is nothing more valuable than that,” Hee Kim said in her opening remarks.

    “When the loving heart and power of mothers are embedded in every woman’s heart, we will be able to make the greatest progress,” She stated.

    With IWPG at the forefront, she said the worldwide movement of women and youth will rise together to urge the implementation of the international law on the cessation of war and achievement of world peace.

    ​The event in Seoul began with a beautiful art performance of 50 multi-cultural female performers wearing their traditional clothes dancing to ‘Hand in Hand’, the official song of the 1988 Olympic Games, and ‘Arirang’, the Korean folk song most widely loved and sung.

    The performance expressed the unity of women transcending nationalities, ethnicities, and religions.

    3,000 women participants at the Yeouido Han River Park marched for peace and shouted, “SHE CAN. SHE CAN. SHE CAN. WORLD PEACE!”

  • ActionAid, Oxfam make case for smallholder farmers

    International agencies, ActionAid Nigeria and Oxfam in Nigeria, have called on government to provide access to land, credit and crop insurance for smallholders’ female farmers.

    The agencies said that 60 per cent of female farmers in Nigeria lacked access to farm credit, inputs, and crop insurance.

    The Deputy Country Director, ActionAid Nigeria, Ifeoma Charles-Monwuba, during the celebration of this year’s International Women’s Day Celebration and launching of the Kilimanjaro Initiative in Abuja on Thursday, added that women were the most voiceless in influencing agricultural and land policies despite their roles in the agriculture sector.

    She added that around 55 per cent of female-headed households were landless, adding that 29 per cent of them own less than one hectare of land.

    “Women in Nigeria constitute 60 to 80 per cent of the agricultural labour force in the country. However, their access to agricultural related services of credit, inputs, training and advice, technology, crop insurance, etc is much lower than men’s.

    “The current government is also planning a land reform exercise and we all need to engage with this process in collaboration with other partners. This will include articulating a position paper that captures the interest of the smallholder women farmers for presentation to the land reform process and other duty bearers in Nigeria,” she said.

    The Head of Programme, Oxfam in Nigeria, Mr. Constant Tchona also said that despite the contributions of female farmers to agriculture, only 15 per cent owed farmlands.

    Represented by Livelihoods and Private Sector Manager, Dr. William Mafwalal, Tchona, called on government to make women leaders in the transition to sustainable agricultural and food systems.

    He added that the agency would continue to engage the Federal Government and private sector to provide secure access to land for small holder farmers especially for women.

    “There is no argument against the fact that rural women are a powerful drive for agricultural development. However, their potential is still hampered by disparities between men and women farmers.

    “They are the first victims of land and related natural resources grabbing. All these and more together threaten the capacity of communities to meet the challenges of sustainable agricultural and food systems today and tomorrow.

    “Research has shown that if women farmers had the same factors of production and opportunities as their male counterparts in the world, they would be able to increase their crop yields by 20 per cent to 30 per cent, thus helping to prevent millions of people from starving.

    “Women do not only play major roles in cash crops, staple-food production, processing or marketing, but as holders of local and traditional knowledge in farm seed conservation and natural resources management,” he said.