By Chimezie Godfrey
The Minister, Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq has expressed the Ministry’s interest to do more to better the lot of the girl-child and women in the country.
Farouq stated this when she received her Women Affairs counterpart, Dame Paullen Tallen and other prominent women on Monday in Abuja.
“We will do more to support women and the girl-child because when you empower a woman, you empower a nation.
“In the Ministry we have different programmes geared towards the support for women and the vulnerable groups in the society.
“We have the Home Grown Feeding Programme where the women are engaged to earn a living, the GEEP (Trader Moni, Farmer Moni, Market Moni, etc), Conditional Cash Transfer given to the poor and vulnerable households, as well as other programmes under the National Social Investment Programme that women can key into.
“The programmes have been yielding results in the households and boosting the economy of the local communities.”
The Minister also praised the initiative behind creating the global programme, Mentoring the Young Ones Innovative, of which she has been chosen to be one of the pioneer mentors.
“I have a lot to say on the benefits of Girl-Child education and I am willing to be one of the advocates,”she said.
Earlier, the Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Paullen Tallen said they were in the Ministry to celebrate women whom God has called to be in position of authority to address issues affecting the country.
Tallen said the Nigerian women had come to appreciate the good works Hajia Farouq was doing in the society and looking up to her for necessary support.
“We have slated three days, 26th to 28th March 2020, for the proper celebration of Nigerian women.
“We have drawn up programmes and activities to empower women – programmes that have direct impact on the lives of women,”she said.
She thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing many women into the Federal Executive Council and other strategic positions in the country.
The Women Affairs Minister added that the saying that women are not friends but enemies of themselves needs to be debunked.
“All the female Ministers in the present cabinet are working together as one.
“We are the role models for the other women to emulate and they are looking unto us”, Tallen noted.
She solicited more support for the Nigerian women.
