By Oluwafunke Ishola

A non-governmental organisation, Foundation for Resilient Empowerment and Development (FRED), has appealed for sustainability and expansion of resources to strengthen gender-based violence programmes across the country.

Mrs Rosemary Echewe, Project Director, FRED, said this during the visit of the Spotlight Initiative Africa Regional Programme (SIARP) Review and Learning Workshop members on Wednesday in Lagos.

SIARP visited Speedmeals Culinary School, a UNDP Spotlight Initiative livelihood pathway programme, implemented by FRED.

Echewe said this as part of learnings and recommendations implementing the Spotlight Initiative Project in Nigeria.

The Spotlight Initiative Project is a partnership between the European Union and the United Nations and is the flagship project on the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls in Nigeria.

It brings in a unique approach to addressing social protection intervention from a gender and human rights perspective.

UNDP Nigeria, in collaboration with other UN Agencies, currently implements the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative on Ending Violence against Women and Girls (EVAWGs) with an aim to support a Nigeria where all women and girls, particularly the most vulnerable, live a life free from all forms of violence and harmful practices.

As the Spotlight Initiative programme winds down in December, Echewe said that partners would strive to build upon the programme successes to strengthen GBV advocacy and prevention in the country.

Echewe said that FRED, a UNDP Spotlight Initiative project partner, had implemented various programmes to ensure that women are self-sustained and supported, particularly women living with disabilities (PLWD) to reduce their susceptibility to GBV.

According to her, UNDP Spotlight Initiative livelihood pathway programme includes financial literacy, business registration, seed grants, and start-up kits to empower beneficiaries from individuals to small business owners.

“Since 2021, over 288 vulnerable women and girls who are survivors of GBV graduated from the UNDP-supported livelihood pathway integration programme in our Abuja and Lagos centres.

“They were provided with seed grants and start-up kits to help them get started,” she said.

The beneficiaries who were survivors of SGBV were trained on fashion designing, culinary skills, hairdressing, shoe making and baking.

Echewe called for expansion of gender project budget to enable partners to reach more survivors, extend to more states and deepen the empowerment impact of GBV survivors.

On the process of selecting the beneficiaries, Echewe said they come through government agencies such as Women Affairs Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) Lagos State; Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency; Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA), among others.

A beneficiary of the programme, who introduced herself as ‘Blessing’, said her participation in the training in 2021 had assisted to empower her as a fashion designer.

“I make clothes for people in Nigeria and outside the country. I am able to take care of myself without depending on anyone,” she said.

Similarly, Shakira Ibrahim, another beneficiary of the programme, said that having a livelihood had reduced her vulnerabilities and enhanced her self-reliance.

Ms Kori Habib, the Media Associate, UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in Nigeria, said the Spotlight Initiative project had been catalytic in bringing gender issues to the forefront with government backing it.

Habib noted that reporting and response had improved, acknowledging that more interventions would be required by partners, donors and government to bridge the gaps.

Spotlight Initiative in Nigeria began implementation in January 2019 with the aim of achieving a country where all women and girls, particularly the most vulnerable, live a life free from violence and harmful practices.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the SIARP programme has developed a country level sustainability strategy.

The project secured a strong basis for sustainability through the buy-in of the government and critical stakeholders at all levels.

The Nigeria project hinges on six pillars namely laws and policies; institutions; prevention; services; data;CSOs and work omen’s movement. (NAN)

Edited by Olawunmi Ashafa

How culture impairs widowed small-scale farmers in conflict-impacted communities of Plateau

A Report by Martha Agas, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

Talatu Yohanna 40, (not real name), a widow from Zanwra village of  Plateau`s Bassa Local Government Area has resorted to doing menial jobs to survive after her husband John, was killed in an attack by suspected herders in 2020.

She works on peoples` farms  as a labourer with a daily wage of N700  to take care of her six children after her in-laws  dispossessed  her of the farmlands she jointly cultivated with her husband  in their 22 years of marriage.

She was  harassed  to leave the family house which she succumbed to after so much pressure as marriages in the community are mostly  patrilocal.  Her in-laws demanded she hands over a sale agreement, the only claim of farmland ownership in her possession.

Her neighbour Josephine who witnessed the series of discriminations say that only family and community leaders can intervene in  addressing the harrowing `family affair`.

Aware of her predicament, the community leader of Zanwra, Mr John Wah, said that information he got was that the farmlands were collected from her because she wanted to return to her father’s house and it was against their customs to do that and still  possess  her late husband`s farmlands.

The community in Irigwe chiefdom located  in Miango district  does not recognise women in farmland inheritance like many rural communities in Nigeria. An elder in the chiefdom, Baba Chayi said that their tradition do not have provisions for females inheriting landed properties but the males have such rights.

According to the paramount ruler of Irigwe Chiefdom, retired Rev. Ronku Aka, it is practised to preserve the family`s wealth as women usually get married and by default take the asset to their husband`s family thereby reducing their  family`s possession.

But even in her father`s house Talatu  still continues to struggle for survival as women are faced with the challenge of disinheritance whether in their birth families or marital families.

She says` `there are 25 children here (her father`s house) who are still struggling to get a portion of land to farm, moreover I am a woman who does not have such rights to access land,“.

When her husband was alive they cultivated grains consisting of maize, millet and guinea corn and also vegetables for home and commercial uses. It catered for their needs and their extended family.

For the commercial use she says“In a year, when we sell our produce, we make within N200,000 to N300,00,“.

Unfortunately, Talatu`s present reality is that of economic hardship. Her first son,16 dropped out of school in 2022. In distraught, she says that she couldn`t provide N11,500 for his Junior Secondary School Certificate exam fees which she would have done if she was allowed to cultivate their farm.

Calvary Arrow Nursery and Primary Academy in Kitago, Miango, where two of Talatu`s children are on scholarship

“Now he is a drop out, life is funny. Who would have thought N11,500 will be a challenge for me but look at me now,“ she said.

She managed to pay school fees for  two of her children in public schools while two are beneficiaries of scholarship in a school which has special consideration for children affected by conflicts in Miango. The local school is currently helping 25 widows with the education of their 37 children.

In another instance, Janet Rike (not real name), 35, a mother of four faced a similar situation, she is back to her father`s house too. She lived with her husband David,40, in Kpacha and cultivated guinea corn and maize  with him  in a portion of the family`s farmland in Tagwaye along Jebbu Miango road until he died of ill health in November 2019.

Asides the takeover of the farm,  about 8 pm on a Friday in October 2020, a month to the first anniversary of his  death, her in-laws asked her to leave the family house with her children. Her reluctance because she wanted to at least complete the one-year mourning period led to physical assault by her most senior sister in-law who held her at the neck till her dress tore.

The youngest of the sisters confirmed  the incident occurred  but explained her sister only beat Janet up because she was disrespectful  to their mother and accused her  family of initiating one of her daughters to witch craft which led to their brother`s death.

Janet holding dress torn from physical assault by her sister in-laws, the night she was driven from the family compound

She got relief when her two daughters were adopted by two good samaritans residing in Abuja and Jos.  Some villagers in hush tones say they don’t trust such assistance because of past events of exploitation of their plight.

Traffickers have posed as NGOs to traffic their children for child labour and other crimes. The community leader of  Jebbu Miango, Chief John Dawa said that an NGO that claimed to be on a mission for  intervention  in education for children in conflict communities visited their community  in 2021 and left with  some children  but was later discovered to engage them in hard labour.

Mr Juventus Yitnoe, the  current Head of Investigations at the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons in Plateau, says such interventions should always  be  interrogated  because conflicts in  Bassa has made it one of the most endemic local government in child trafficking and its people vulnerable to be tricked. The agency has recorded 85 cases and 146 victims within March 2021 to October 2022 in Plateau.

For Alice Gabriel (not real name), 22, from Ancha community, who dropped out from secondary school for  marriage, when she  lost her husband in an attack on January 2021, aside from being prevented from using the farmland, she was harassed by her in-laws for trying to create a bad image for them when she was given farmland by a neighbour to cultivate.  Moreover,  she was interrogated for desiring money a lot when she didn’t have a child in their five years of marriage.

She is back to her father`s house and have returned to continue her secondary education at Government Secondary School Te`egbe through a scholarship scheme. Alice is currently in JSS2.

Investigations reveal that these are some of the challenges concerning customary practices that disinherit widows and sustain their unjust treatment in some rural communities of Irigwe Chiefdom in Miango district of  Bassa LGA.

Since 2015  Irigwe land has been hit with more than 73 episodes of crisis resulting mostly from disagreement and disputes between farmers and herders. This has led to the rising number of widows in the area put as 422 between 2016 till date according to the Relief Distribution Committee in the chiefdom. It is projected to have one of the highest number of widows in the state.

The continuous crisis in the area, other parts of the north and in the country in general, has contributed to Nigeria being among  the 20 countries in the world with more than 3 million widows according to World Widows Report.

This figure contributes to the estimated 38 million widows living in extreme poverty globally; and Sub-Saharan Africa is worst hit.

A United Nation report says that African widows irrespective of ethnic groups, are among the most vulnerable and destitute in which their customs are likely to be used to oppress and exploit them.

This is the case of the widows in Irigwe Chiefdom, who are still struggling with the loss of their husbands and the aftermath of the crisis and further burdened with the oppression of their customs. The situation has contributed to the prevalence of discrimination on their access to farmlands, a major source of livelihood in the agrarian area in spite of various legislations against it.

These discriminations are part of the harmful widowhood practices which the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act passed into law in 2015 prohibits.  The law passed in Plateau on May 19, 2022  addresses cultural practices and beliefs that are discriminatory against women.

It states “Any person who subjects a widow to harmful traditional practices commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not less than two years or to a fine not less than N500,000 or to both such fine and imprisonment.’’

These legislations such as  the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) ; the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights; Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution and the land Use Act of 1978 provide for punitive measures against women discrimination.

Legislations protecting women from discrimination on land inheritance

The existence of statutes to protect the right of a widow to inherit her late husband`s estate is recognised by the Supreme Court. In 2014 in the judgement of Ukeje Vs Ukeje,  it  condemned the Igbo custom of excluding women from inheriting their father`s estate declaring it as null and void. This takes precedence to lower courts even though rural communities are still  patrilineal  and traditions still prevail.

Widows rarely have land documents in rural areas

Many widows in rural areas do not have legal documents except in some instances where they could be lucky to have letter of agreement for sale of land.

This is recognised in their communities and can be admissible in courts. They are usually handwritten in Hausa language by members of their communities revered to be educated.

The community leader of Dan-Tanko in Irigwe land, Mr Ancha Jatau, says the  agreement shows evidence of payment and description of the land.

Legal practitioners say the document is important and should be kept well by the widows. A human rights lawyer, Ms Priscilla Akau says when something is penned down, it gives the case some semblance of being valid.

Also, Mr Audu Daspan describes it as a simple agreement of transfer of customary land and by its nature not a registrable instrument under the land instrument registration law but is admissible in the court to show evidence of payment.

He however said proper foundation must be established for the argument.

When presented with the sale agreement with Talatu for her late husband`s land which has no signature, he says there are circumstances in an agreement in a contract that even an unsigned document could still be admitted as long as the intention of the parties is very clear from the evidence.

Evidence of agreement on   farmland purchased by John, Talatu`s husband in 2007, still in her possession

Under Age marriage is the norm

Under-age marriage is a norm in rural communities of Irigwe land which obstructs their education and limits their courage to report disinheritance. Investigations reveal that the widows marry before the completion of their Junior Secondary school.

A Community Based Organisation, Rural Youth Integral Support Initiative which operates in the area affirms to the practice. The Founder, Mr Gastor Barrie, who run intervention programmes for widows  says they mostly get married at the age of 15 to 17 years and less than 5 per cent of them completed their Junior secondary school.

The marriages even contravene to the Child Rights Law in the state which prohibits child marriage to a minor described as under 18 years, a situation still unreported.

According to the Litigation Officer of the family court  in Jos, Mrs Eunice Aaron, no case has been reported to the court since the law was passed in 2005.

Why the Silence?

Many of the widows have accepted their travails as fate while some are ignorant of relevant legislations protecting women against discrimination.

For instance Asabe Ishaya  31, says  she didn`t complain when she was not permitted to cultivate the family`s farmland  in Tafi-gana after  her husband  was killed in 2018 in an attack.  She says that it is the culture they met many years ago which would live after them

Moreover, she narrated that her father apportioned farmland for his daughters before he died but her uncles collected it back from them after his demise.

Mrs Caroline Gwedu, the National President of the Irigwe Women Development Association says many women in the land are ignorant of their rights and have never reported any maltreatment to them. She, however, admitted their failure in sensitising the women on their rights.

Also, Ms Akau says patriarchy especially in Nigeria`s northern region have made widows afraid of the persecution they will get from in-laws when they report them to the authorities.

The customs have been noted to be one of the reasons they rarely report disinheritance to courts. A Registrar at an Area Court in Bukuru, Mr Sunday Chohi says that those who even have the courage to do that mostly hide under the guise of their sons or male relations to seek for justice.

Reports of land matters by women in some courts in Jos Metropolis.  Source: Courts

In Miango where the nearest Area court to these communities is located, it was found to be locked during official hours during this investigation, an anonymous source says it has been locked for over a month because they hardly get cases and even if they do, it is hardly a female reporting on any issue on farmland inheritance.

For the few cases reported within 2022 to June 2023 in some Area courts in Jos, most of them are pending except of one in the Area Court of Bukuru, where the plaintiff reported her siblings on land ownership and was given writ of possession on March 9.

Mrs Jennifer Mallo, 54, from Mbar village in Bokkos who lost her husband in 1995 was also lucky to get justice  at the Area Court in Bokkos.

On May 30, 2018, the court ruled for her to be given the farmland inheritance of her husband from his family.

Area court locked during official hours in Miango

What is ministry of women affairs doing?

The state ministry of Women Affairs and social development is saddled with the responsibility of handling the welfare of women which includes protection of their rights and empowerment through their various units.

But the ministry says there are social welfare officers at the state`s 17 LGAs who are assigned to such duties in rural communities.

However, findings reveal that in Bassa, there is no budgetary provisions for the welfare officer to visit rural communities except the widows visit the secretariat to report which they hardly do.

The ministry however has a Widowhood Vocational Training Centre located in Mangu Local Government Area (LGA) established in 1993 to empower widows with vocational skills.

Each of the LGAs in the state are expected to sponsor widows from their areas while the ministry provides them with starter packs at the end of the programme.

The centre`s runs the biannual programme of six months even though its last graduation was in 2020. Also, most of its structures are in disrepair except for a building donated in 2020 by some petrol station operators in Mangu.

The ministry`s Director of Women Affairs, Mrs Mary Chuwang during the 2023 international Widows Day celebration said that the centre need more budgetary provision to achieve its mandate; access counterpart funding from donor agencies; implement existing gender laws and revisit the establishment of Gender Equal Opportunities Commission.

For that, there is a ray of hope for its establishment as the new governor of  the state, Caleb Muftwang on July 27 gave approval of  some appointments which included Mrs Olivia Dazyem, as the Chairperson Implementation Committee of Gender  and Equal Opportunities Commission.

Mrs Jennifer Mallo on her farm in Bokkos. She was lucky to get her husband`s inheritance of farmland after a court case

Changing the tides

Civil Society Organisations(CSOs) have charged traditional rulers, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), indigenous women groups and other stakeholders on enlightening women in  rural communities on their rights.

One of the constitutional duties  of  NHRC is public enlightenment on  human rights and assisting  victims of   infringements.

In Plateau, iits State Coordinator, Mrs Veronica Abe, says that they organise Village Square meetings to sensitise women of their rights and the need to report discrimination for justice.

However, more efforts are required from them, Gad Shamaki, the Chairman of CSOs in Plateau charged them to organise more outreaches for women in rural communities through partnership with the National Orientation Agency and also social welfare departments in the LGAs.

Dilapidated structure at the Widowhood Vocational Centre in Mangu

According to a Human Rights Lawyer, Mr Frank Tie Tie, NHRC is constrained by funding to carry out its statutory duties as it receives over one million complaints annually and cannot carry out sufficient human rights education.

To address that situation, the senate passed the National Human Rights Commission Bill, 2022 on April 5 to strengthen its capacity.

Complaints made to the NHRC Plateau State

Gad also challenged worship centres particularly churches on educating widows of their rights while also advocating for engaging traditional leaders to  ensure inclusiveness of women in land inheritance.

Enactment of bye laws by traditional rulers as prescribed by an elder, Baba Chayi, is crucial to ensure  punitive measures for defaulters and  to serve as deterrent to others.

He added that safe spaces should be created by women for widows to report their grievances without being tagged as “sell outs”.

For an activist, Mrs Grace Solomon,  rural women should be educated on the provisions of the VAPP law by the Ministry of women affairs  and other stakeholders.

She added that the ministry should be repositioned to discharge its duties of protecting women from discrimination especially in marginalised communities where they are most abandoned to their plight.

Mr Thomas Ajitse, a Judge of an Area Court in Jos says the judiciary can only adjudicate on reported cases so widows  should report discrimination and  not concede to defeat.

Even though no case has been reported to the Paramount Ruler of Irigwe land on maltreatment of widows on farmlands, he says his cabinet is billed to have a meeting within July and August to consider enacting bye laws to guide the affairs of the chiefdom and would incorporate the subject matter in their deliberations.

This report was supported by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) under its Female Reporters’ Leadership Programme (FRLP) “Report Women”.

By Oluwafunke Ishola

The African Union Commission (AUC) has called for collaboration in finding creative and constructive solutions to the protection of women and girls from sexual and gender-based violence.

Ms Victoria Maloka, Head, Coordination and Outreach Division, Women, Gender and Youth Directorate, AU, made the call on Tuesday in Lagos.

Maloka said this during the Spotlight Initiative Africa Regional Programme (SIARP) second annual review and learning workshop.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Spotlight Initiative is a global partnership between the United Nations, the European Union, and the African Union.

The partnership seeks to end violence against women and girls, specifically female genital mutilation, child marriage and other harmful practices.

According to UN, violence against women is any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or mental harm or suffering to women.

Others include threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.

Maloka said that the high rate of violence against women and girls in the region was maintained by the persistence of harmful gender norms, gender disparities, conflicts, among others.

In order to resolve this, Maloka said that AU had been working with partners toward changing harmful social and gender norms that perpetuated gender inequality.

She called on partners to continue to make investments and be strategic with resources to sustain work being done at national, regional and continental levels.

“What brings us together is a vision to deliver as one, the Africa that we want, for the Africa that we want, by Africans.

“This would help to shape policies and make a great impact on women and girls so that they may participate fully in economic activities, political affairs and social endeavours,” she said.

Similarly, Ms Anu John, UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, Nigeria, said that gender-based violence was deep and required multilateral and multi-agency collaboration.

She said that Africa, and indeed Nigeria, had made progress in implementing the Spotlight Initiative since its introduction five years ago.

John noted that Nigeria had enacted the Violence Against Person Prohibition Act in 36 states, domesticated and implemented the act.

She added that advocacy was being done and there had been success stories around the VAPP Act.

“Gender based violence is now at the forefront of everyone’s discussion and within the UN itself. It’s part of our leave no one behind agenda.

“It’s one of our transformative works which the UN is supporting and wants addressed, not just at a programme level but in ensuring that Nigeria sees a shift in its protection of women and girls issues,” she said.

Also, Ms Meltem Agduk, Gender Programme Manager, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said that about 200 million girls and women are still faced with gender mutilation.

Agduk said that GBV undermines the health, dignity, security and autonomy of its victims, yet it remains shrouded in a culture of silence.

She said that UNFPA was working to respond and reduce GBV, support programmes in over 150 countries and territories, globally.

On her part, Mrs Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, Executive Secretary, Lagos State Domestic Sexual Violence Agency, said that Lagos had shown its commitment in ensuring full implementation of the various Spotlight Initiative being driven by both the civil society organisations and the government.

Vivour-Adeniyi said that addressing gender-based violence and harmful practices required a multi-disciplinary approach.

“The role of the state government in reducing the menace to the barest minimum and ensuring perpetrators are held accountable cannot be overemphasised,” she said.

According to her, the DSVA registered 5,333 cases in 2022, noting that 70 per cent of the cases were domestic violence, while the rest were sexual violence cases.

“This year, we have started to do an average of 250 new cases monthly,” she said.

She noted that data collection was fundamental and critical to drive policies and scientific programmes and providing holistic services from a survivor-centred approach.

NAN reports that the three-day workshop had representatives from eight Spotlight Initiative countries, key partners and stakeholders, to evaluate effective programmatic interventions at regional and national levels.

The goal was to deepen impact and find innovative approaches to sustain the impact of the programme among AU member states.

The Spotlight Initiative project in Nigeria saw an expansion of its reach to include more Persons With Disabilities (PWD), the socio-economically disadvantaged, as well as adolescent girls and women.

It secured a strong basis for sustainability through the buy-in of the government and critical stakeholders at all levels.

The Nigeria project hinges on six pillars, namely: Laws and policies; institutions; prevention; services; data; CSOs/Women’s movement. (NAN)

Edited by Kamal Tayo Oropo/Olawunmi Ashafa

By Justina Auta

The Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has affirmed her commitment towards empowerment, rural farming, and health for women and children in the country.

Kennedy-Ohanenye stated this on Monday on assumption of duty and meeting with the media in Abuja.

According to her, the ministry would work towards ameliorating the sufferings of women and children, particularly improved access to health care services and farming for those in the rural areas.

She explained that women across the six geopolitical zones will be trained on various skills, which they will also cascade to others to improve their livelihood, nation’s GDP, address street begging and insecurity.

“These are some of the things I will achieve from now to 100 days in office such as empowering women, teaching them skills, training the trainees for them to empower at least 10 people for us.

“I intend to start training the trainees in the six geopolitical zones, in which we will choose states or ballots to decide the states we will start from.

“If we are able to achieve it in 100 days, we will definitely look for people that will donate the materials for the people trained to start working on their skills, but on condition that each of them will train 10 people, which we will equally empower them,” she added.

On rural farming, the minister appealed to the public to desist from using their positions and connection to grab programmes targeted at a group.

” If we ask rural women farmers and you use connection to grab what belongs to them, when you know that you are not going to the village to do the farming.

“These are some of the things that we will not tolerate because I want to work with women and see those that are suffering, we look towards them and assist them,” she said.

She, therefore, urged the staff and other stakeholders to support the government towards achieving its mandates for the overall good of the nation.

” I want you to understand that I am not here to victimise anyone unless you are not ready to work.

” I am here to motivate the women to work hard, teach them how to fish and protect their children with the little power president Tinubu has given me, that is my job,” she said.

The minister also urged partners and other stakeholders to support the government through an insurance scheme that will enable women and children in rural areas to access quality health care services.

She also called for allocation of at least one per cent from taxation on alcoholic drinks, cigarettes and others to be channeled towards health care services for women, especially in rural areas to reduce mortality rates. (NAN)

Edited by Ekemini Ladejobi

By Muftau Ogunyemi

Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, wife of Ondo State governor, has said that her initiative, BEMORE, trained no fewer than 3,000 young girls on various vocational skills in the past six years.

Anyanwu-Akeredolu made the disclosure at the opening ceremony of the BEMORE Summer Bootcamp 2023 held on Monday in Akure.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 350 young girls are attending the two weeks BEMORE SUMMER BOOTCAMP 2023, drawn from all the 18 local government areas of the state.

The governor’s wife, who declared opened the camp virtually, said that the initiative was to close the widened gender gap in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and entrepreneurship(STEM+E).

 She explained that activities at the bootcamp  were designed to  empower young Nigerian girls in critical areas of science and technology while creating opportunities to help them improve on their lives  and make meaningful contribution to the socio-economic development of their respective communities.

“In the last six years, I have treasured this moment and it’s bounty harvests. It affords me the chance to yearly re-give myself to a new set of sterling Nigerian girls through this credible platform.

“This, for me, is an exceptional opportunity to build these promising girls into confident, competent and worthy women who, in the fullness of time, will rewrite the narrative around womanhood.

“We have had five outstanding editions of BEMORE Boot Camps with great successes. We have given to the world rare gifts of female champions who are making waves as solar energy queens, ICT experts and sought-after young entrepreneurs .

“Through BEMORE, we have successfully raised about 3,000 girls as ‘ special breed without greed’,” she said.

Mr Lucky Ayedatiwa, the Acting Governor of the state, applauded Mrs Anyanwu-Akeredolu for empowering the girl-child and womenfolk across the state since 2017.

Ayedatiwa, who was the chairman of the occasion, said that the initiative would bring huge signature revolutionary impact on the society at large.

“You have championed a whole crusade  that is committed to building a society free from abuses and prejudice against the girl child and women, using strategic tools of advocacy, education, empowerment and engagement in nation building.

“You have also built core competencies in teamwork, problem-solving, social and leadership skills, solar energy, information and communication technology for Nigerian girl child and womenfolk,” he said.

Ayedatiwa, therefore, charged the participants to take the training seriously, saying the training programme would help them unleash their energies and potentials by bringing out the best and taking bold steps about their life.

Dr Mbang Kooffreh-Ada, Senior Lecturer and Chief Consultant, University of Calabar,  called on parents to improve the nutrition status of their girl-child for them to have positive impacts and contribute to national development.

Kooffreh-Ada, who presented a paper on “Addressing Nutrition and Food Security in Nigeria- A Call to Action”, also called on governments, NGOs and other relevant agencies to make policy reforms and target the root causes of malnutrition and food insecurity in the nation.(NAN)

Edited by Muftau Adediran/Bayo Sekoni

By Henry Oladele

The Junior Achievement Nigeria (JAN) an NGO, says no career path is irrelevant for females as it empowers over 400 school girls on leadership programmes.

The JAN Executive Director, Mrs Foluso Gbadamosi, made the disclosure in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Tuesday.

The programme which was just recently concluded across the federation according to her, is in partnership with Union Bank.

“No fewer than 16 schools participated in the three-day Leadership, Empowerment, Achievement and Development(LEAD) camp program, organised for young secondary school girls across the nation,” she said.

She added that the programme was aimed at empowering young girls with relevant entrepreneurial and career skills needed for the future.

“The 16 schools that participated were Seed of Life College, Oyo; Topfield College, Lagos; Redeemer’s International Secondary School, Lagos; Queens School, Enugu; Kano Capital Girls School; Hope High Academy Zawan, Plateau.

“Others were Rosa Mystical High School Agulu, Anambra; Faith Baptist College, Rivers; Bedrock International School, Mararaba; Community Secondary School Asokoro, FCT; Taidob College, Ogun,  Baptist Girls College, Ogun; Merit International School, Ondo.

“The remaining schools included Faith Academy, Kaduna; Christian Secondary Commercial School, Akwa-Ibom and Adiahaobong Secondary Commercial School, Akwa-Ibom,” she said. 

While saying that the camp proved to be another transformative experience for the over 400 young minds nationwide, Gbadamosi added that JAN firmly believed that leadership had no gender boundaries.

“We are dedicated to breaking the barriers that have held girls back for far too long.

“During the programme, we nurtured the courage of these young girls, instilled essential leadership skills, expanded their networks, and, most importantly, showed them that no career path is gender-specific or irrelevant.

“We are confident that the positive impact of the LEAD camp programme will resonate for years to come, producing change-makers ready to shape the future of Nigeria and the world.

“Our commitment to expanding and strengthening the JAN Nigeria LEAD camp programme across the country remains unwavering as we aim to impact even more young girls,’” she said.

She said the three-day camp featured interactive workshops, panel sessions, and skill-building activities to equip the participants with valuable leadership skills.

“This year’s LEAD camp was tailored toward inspiring and empowering young girls with relevant leadership, entrepreneurial and career development skills they need to be high-achieving leaders.

“Throughout the camp, the girls were coached by experienced mentors who led them through developing their presentations to enhance their leadership skills further.

“A panel of judges evaluated their presentations on the final day, and the winners won different prizes.

“This year’s LEAD camp occurred in Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Enugu, Kaduna, Kano, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ogun, Ondo, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, and the FCT,” she said.

She expressed deep gratitude to Union bank for its consistent support, which had made the LEAD camp vision a reality.

“Together, we empower the next generation of leaders to create a brighter, more inclusive future for all,” she added.

Miss Olufunmilola Aluko, Chief Brand and Marketing Officer at Union bank, said the programme marked the ninth year of partnership with JAN on LEAD camp.

“We have impacted thousands of girls in these nine years. Through LEAD camp, Union bank continues to empower young women to be high-achieving leaders well-prepared for the future of work and entrepreneurship.

“Glass ceilings are easier to shatter when we know people are supporting us, and the girls who participate in the LEAD camp programme benefit from exposure to phenomenal Nigerian women.

“This partnership aligns with our commitment to enabling success for women and girls, as is our contribution to supporting Nigeria to achieve SDG 5 – Gender Equality,” she said

One of the school girls, Chiamaka Moses from Topfield secondary school, said her experience was an unforgettable one.

“I learned about emotional intelligence and self-awareness, working with others, managing my temper, and what triggers my emotions.

“ I was also made aware that etiquette is a soft skill rather than a personality trait and that there is a need to improve soft skills.

“These skills are required to position me for employment opportunities successfully. I am grateful to JAN  for this opportunity, which I intend to utilise,” she said.

Edited by Edith Bolokor/Chioma Ugboma