Mrs. Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, Minister of Women Affairs on
Monday unveiled key programmes targeted at empowering women across the country
and improving their productivity in actualisation of the Renewed Hope Agenda of
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
Speaking after a solidarity walk with women groups as part
of activities to mark the 2024 International Women’s Day celebration in Abuja,
Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye identified the programmes to include a $100m World Bank
funded Nigeria for women project and the President Bola Tinubu (P-BAT) Cares
for Nigerian Women project.
She said the President will launch the programme on 7 March.
The $100m Fund Project tagged P-BAT Cares For Nigerian Women
is to economically empower the Nigerian Women.
While emphasising the importance of taking care of women for
national growth and development, the Minister also passionately appealed to the
man media to join in the efforts to ensure that the programmes achieved
intended benefits for the beneficiaries by being part of “Integrity Brigade”
for the initiative.
She said the aim pf the Integrity Brigade will be to police
touted as aimed at empowering women to ensure to ensure they reach their
intended beneficiaries, reiterated Government’s commitment to sustainability
and Women Empowerment.
She also said the Federal Government will go after
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) and institutions collecting funds from
international donors and end up spending the bulk of the funds on technical
support, trainings, research and others.
“The president will officially be launching the P-BAT Cares
for Nigerian Women alongside other programmes like the Nigeria for Women
project and the Integrity Brigade which I want all of you to be part of.
“As members of the integrity brigade. you play a crucial
role in helping us fight some of these challenges. The royal father’s and the
religious leaders are also part of this Vanguard that the President will be
launching.
“But the media is very important to me because it is only
you that I can use to achieve our goals for this country,” she said.
She noted that most of the intervention programs in the form
of loans aimed at empowering women, end up in the hands of few greedy persons.
The minister expressed worries that some of those she called
greedy , approached donor organisations in the name of the vulnerable in
Nigeria but end up pocketing the funds, rather than use it to assist the poor
and vulnerable.
“They use terms like consultancy, advocacy, research and to
get these monies but for how long should we allow this as Nigerians.
“I want you people, (the media), to join the integrity
brigade, that the integrity brigade is to fight these ills.
“So I am pleading that for the sake of our country we use
this opportunity well to get things right,” she said.