By Justina Auta
As the world celebrates International Women’s Day (IWD), President Bola Tinubu has assured impactful and accessible programmes that will improve the status of Nigerian women and make life easy for them.

Tinubu gave the assurance at the inauguration of “Nigeria for Women Programme” in Abuja,  saying that the initiative, which had other
activities under it, was aimed at empowering women economically, protecting their rights and promoting national development.

Represented at the programme  by Mr George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Tinubu listed key components
of the programme as; the P-BAT Cares for Women E-market portal, National Women Helpline, Naija save Nigeria Integrity/Transparency
Brigade and Nigeria Be Informed National Broadcast Channel.

He reiterated government’s commitment to address challenges affecting women and vulnerable groups in the country.

“We are not just committed to women in Abuja and other urban centres; we are committed to all the women in this country, particularly
the most vulnerable who live in rural areas.

“Government needs to continually implement policies that improve the lives of our citizens and be deliberate about reducing the struggles
of Nigerian women, while increasing the economic prosperity of our women.”

He called for increased collaboration with international partners, religious and traditional leaders, and support for reforms and policies
that ensure national prosperity and gender inclusivity.

“We know what it takes to have a more gender-inclusive country; we need to make deliberate efforts to achieve this. It is time to empower our women.

Kennedy-Ohanenye said that the programmes launched would address these challenges, fight for the rights of women, promote their participation in all areas, particularly economically and politically

She said rice, cassava and garri processing machines and other machines had been procured and distributed to some states as part of the programme, adding that “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 and sustainable ventures to reduce the suffering women go through.”

She thanked development partners, religious and traditional leaders, as well as other stakeholders for their support toward addressing the challenges.

Mrs Beatrice Nyong, the UN Women Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, stressed the need to invest in women to accelerate the achievement
of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

She said, “we are dedicated to promoting innovative solutions to address the economic challenges confronting women and girls in Nigeria.”

On his part, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, emphasised the need to improve access to girl-child education and
recognise the role women play in economic and national development.

He said “we know the roles women play; without them, there will be no procreation. Women are the first teachers in the home,
if you have a good person, check his background, and you will find out that he has a good mother.

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, called for more realistic programmes for women, as well as ensure strong follow-up and monitoring
mechanism to ensure success toward empowering women.

He said “this shouldn’t be a one-off; try to leave your comfort zones and go and see what people are going through from time to time outside
Abuja. You have a lot of networks you can work with to ensure women are empowered.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8, as a focal point in the women’s
rights movement, focusing on issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.

The global observance has “Invest in women: Accelerate progress” as the theme of the 2024 celebration. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu