President Bola Tinubu has assured Nigerians that things would soon turn around for their own good, in response to the present economic hardship in the country.
The President who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, made the statement on Thursday, at the State House in Abuja at the official Unveiling of the Nigeria For Women Programme.
He said the government is aware that Nigerians are complaining about hunger, adding that his administration is pushing out palliatives to cushion the effect of hunger, is also ready to implement a new minimum wage.
He said: “My administration is committed to Nigerian women and this is reflective in my policies. It gladdens my heart to stand before you and tell you the future of women in Nigeria looks very promising. Ministry of Women Affairs is working day and night, leaving no stone unturned to ensure that all your needs are met and exceeded, the Ministry has embarked on several notable projects.
“As a government, it is our duty to prioritize interest around the most vulnerable citizens which are women and children, so that we’ll put this behind us.
“The federal government actively working to ensure that programmes designed for Nigerian women are impactful and accessible to the intended beneficiaries, we are nit just committed to women in Abuja and other urban centres, the government is committed to all women particularly the most vulnerable who live in the rural areas.
“I am gladdened by the use of technology in dispensing sustainable development for our women. Sustainable agriculture, empowerment and technology is key in driving national prosperity.
“I am calling on all partners here to take a pledge today to support my administration and the Minister of Women Affairs. Today I want to officially unveil the Nigerian for Women programme. In a few days time, as we go into Ramadan, we should all rise up and pray for our country, let us pray for a more united Nigeria, let us pray for peace, let us pray for our President and the continuation of our Federation.
“Today we complain about hunger, we would be pushing out palliative so that the effects of hunger can be brought to a minimum. Ours is a very complex Federation, based on three tiers of governments, we have the federal, state and local governments and all of them have direct access to the Federation account. So winning together we can do a lot for our people. Today things are a little bit harsh, but this is not forever.
“Things would soon begin to change as more food is brought to the table of our citizens and as we prepare to implement a new minimum wage.”
The Minister of Women Affairs, Barr. Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye explained that the programme intends to empower women in all states of the federation by providing them with machines to produce a lot of the things local women extert so much energy and time producing locally.
She said thee-market platform would be used to market the products of local women entrepreneurs all over the country for buyers and banks have already shown interest in assisting the women access their finances and payments digitally.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi in his remarks, urged the government to look beyond Abuja when implementing programmes especially those that affect women.
He said, “Their is life beyond Abuja that we all come for the central position of governance, it is very important for all our people to feel governance. I would like to employ our women here, ably led by the Minister of Women Affairs, please do not let this thing be one off. Try as much as possible to leave your comfort zone to go and feel what people are feeling from time to time.
“We have a lot of political networks that you can actually connect to disperse these programmes that you want to actually give to our mothers, to the women of our dear country for them to continue to impact on how to instill morals in the society and how to better the lots in terms of empowerment.”
