The Minister of Women Affairs Barr Uju Kennedy Ohanenye, has disclosed the Ministry’s plans to acquire and deploy mechanized farming equipment to drive its community-based farming initiative, designed to improve the wellbeing of Nigerian women.
This was contained in a signed statement made available to Journalists on Tuesday in Abuja by the Special Assistant, Media to the Minister, Ohaeri Osondu Joseph.
According to the statement, Ohanenye made the disclosure during a strategic meeting with community leaders, women leaders, youth leaders, vigilante members and representatives of the Nigeria Police drawn from 6 different communities within the Federal Capital Territory, saying the iinitiative is in line with renewed efforts to empower women in agricultural production.
The statement noted that the introduction of modernized farming tools will go a long way to avert stress for women who use bare hands for virtually every farming process and also improve production.
It assured that one of the ministry’s goals is to save women from further stress and to provide modern machines that will de-chaff, de-stone and parboil the rice before bagging them for the market.
“Our women have suffered enough and we must change the narrative by migrating from manual to mechanized farming,”she said.
“The machines will arrive within the month and we will deploy them immediately after training the women on how to operate them. With this, we can work towards food sufficiency in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu policy thrust on food security anchored on the renewed hope agenda” she added.
The Minister added that the arrangement include the procurement of Tricycles for women from select communities in the FCT who will be trained to operate the tricycles which will be accounted for as more tricycles will be acquired through the same process to empower more women.
She also invited the Police to provide security for the women in the course of operating the tricycles.
“Under the farming scheme, women will be introduced to high yield potato and rice farming through the provision of seedlings, land with borehole and other irrigation facilities to ensure all-year-round farming exercise with the FCT communities as pilot scheme of the initiative which will be extended to Jigawa, Kano, Kebbi and other states in the country,” she assured.
Responding, the Etsu of Jokoyi who also led members of his community to the meeting, Prof. Bawa Jetta commended the Women Affairs Minister for her resilience and determination to better the welfare of women and children in Nigeria.
According to him “with the leadership God has given you, most Nigerian women and the vulnerable children will smile very soon. I have been monitoring your philanthropic activities over the years and was not surprised when you were appointed the Minister of Women Affairs because you fit into this position” he said.
Other community representatives drawn from Jikoyi, Galadimawa, Kobi, Kuje, Piagba and Karu also pledged their willingness to embrace the initiatives from the Women Affairs Ministry to upgrade the socio-economic status of women and children in their areas.