Aisha Babangida and the African Rural Woman

…celebrating International Day for Rural Women

By Edwin Uhara

Therefore, the challenges facing African Rural Women necessitated the celebration of Aisha Babangida’s efforts in giving rural women a voice and access through many of her NGOs. Still, because this piece is about the International Day of Rural Women, I limited the scope of this article to the Better Life Program for the African Rural Woman for what they are doing silently.

There is no better time to appreciate the humanitarian gestures of Aisha Babangida, a woman who has been silently transforming the lives of people around her than using the occasion of this year’s International Day for the Rural Women; a day set aside by the United Nations to raise awareness on the status of women and to shed more lights on the inequalities women still face as well as advocate for their recognition and participation in decision-making and demanding stronger social protection systems that reduces the digital divide they face in this century.

Accordingly, the works of Aisha Babangida have become even more pronounced as we mark the 30th anniversary of the famous Beijing Women’s Conference of 1995 this year.
And in line with this year’s theme, “Rural Women Sustaining Nature for our Collective Future,” Aisha Babangida, through the Better Life Program for African Rural Women, has been shaping the lives of rural women by equipping them with relevant skills through training and empowerment.

However, the empowerment of the Better Life Program differs from other empowerment programs, which often employ a general template that overlooks the specific needs of each state or zone. In contrast, the Better Life empowerment program is tailored to state-to-state and region-to-region priorities, based on a SWOT analysis.

Hence, before deciding on the type of training and empowerment to be offered to a particular region, the Better Life Program will first of all get the baseline data and analyse it to ascertain the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the zone before coming forth with an empowerment Program that suits the zone while capitalising on the comparative advantage the region already has.

In other words, their focus is on building on the strengths and opportunities of each state or region. For example, a state with a strong foundation in groundnut production, such as Kano, would be leveraged by training its women and girls in modern groundnut production techniques and empowering them on that basis, so as to add value to themselves and create value chains.

The reason is that the template that works in Kano State will likely not work in Enugu State, because apart from comparative advantage and market availability, topographical differences are also a factor.
All these factors are considered by the Better Life Program before rolling out its programs, and this has helped ensure that empowerment reaches the people who need it most.

Similarly, empowering women is not only a right but also a potent force for alleviating poverty, hunger, diseases and reducing the effects of global warming.
According to a UN report, “Women are responsible for half of the world’s food production while working as environmental and biodiversity stewards.”

Even then, there are still challenges facing rural women globally. The UN report further stated that, “Women and girls in rural areas suffer disproportionately from multi-dimensional poverty.”

“They may be as productive and enterprising as their male counterparts but are less able to access land, credit, agricultural inputs, markets, and high-value agrifood chains and obtain lower prices for their crops.”

The report added that “Women and girls in rural areas lack equal access to productive resources and assets, public services, such as education and health care, and infrastructure, including water and sanitation, while much of their labour remains invisible and unpaid.”
In the same vein, the report added that ‘If women had the same access to productive resources as men, farm yields could increase by 20–30 per cent, feeding an additional 100 to 150 million people.”

Based on the foregoing, empowering our women is no longer a choice but a necessity.
Therefore, the challenges facing African Rural Women necessitated the celebration of Aisha Babangida’s efforts in giving rural women a voice and access through many of her NGOs. Still, because this piece is about the International Day of Rural Women, I limited the scope of this article to the Better Life Program for the African Rural Woman for what they are doing silently.
While I encourage Aisha Babangida to continue her good work for humanity, I also appeal to public-spirited individuals to support this good cause for the sake of the common humanity we share.
Happy International Day for Rural Women!

Comrade Edwin Uhara is a UN-trained Negotiator and writes from Abuja

Aisha Babangida and the African Rural Woman

120 Nigerian returnees get skills, empowerment

By: Michael Mike

The RECONNECT Project (Reintegration and Empowerment for Connecting and Nurturing Opportunities of Vulnerable Populations and Returning Migrants) have graduated in Abuja 120 persons, mostly Nigerian returnees from unfortunate trips outside of the country.

The three-month skill acquisition programme is designed to make them self-reliant and employers of labour.

The project, according to the Country Director, ActionAid Nigeria, Andrew Mamedu, has supported the economic and social reintegration of vulnerable groups, including returned migrants, internally displaced persons (IDPs), persons with disabilities (PWDs), and survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) through vocational training and business start-up support.

Mamedu, speaking at a graduation ceremony of the project sponsored by International Organisation for Migration (IOM), German Development Cooperation (GIZ), and GOPA in collaboration with

the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), said in total, 400 individuals across the three locations of Abuja, Lagos and Benin have been trained in market-driven skills such as fashion design, hairdressing, catering and hotel management, baking and confectionery, textile and adire making, and shoemaking.

He said. “Today, we celebrate not only the completion of a training programme for the one hundred participants in Abuja but also the beginning of new ventures, new livelihoods, and hope for these Nigerians.”

He added that: “Over the past few months, participants have undergone intensive hands-on training and entrepreneurial development through the Inspire, Create, Start and Scale (ICSS) module which is an essential component that prepares them not only to work but to lead, innovate, and create opportunities for others.

“The RECONNECT Project goes beyond reintegration. It embodies the fight against poverty and inequality. By strengthening the capacity of young Nigerians with practical skills and entrepreneurial knowledge, we are contributing to tackling the structural causes of poverty and unemployment. We are building resilience, strengthening livelihoods, and giving people the tools to reclaim their dignity.”

Mamedu said: “As we celebrate you today, we also call on the Federal Government to create better conditions for our young people, conditions that foster opportunity, dignity, and hope. No Nigerian should feel compelled to risk their life through irregular migration in search of survival. The solution lies in empowerment, education, and inclusive development.”

The Federal Commissioner of the NCFRMI, Aliyu Tijani Ahmed, who presented certificates to the graduating returnees, charged them to remain in the country.

“I am sure after your graduation, we will not find any of you on the street begging because of the training that you have received. And also, the starter fund that you received to start your business.

“This is all about integration. This is all about empowerment. You have to put your commitment into putting this trade into action.

“Please remain in Nigeria. Please be part of this country. The government is changing, and our life system is also changing positively in Nigeria today. “

120 Nigerian returnees get skills, empowerment

Three cows poisoned, one suspect arrested in Odeda

By: Zagazola Makama

A 60-year-old cattle owner, Abubakar Umoru of Olokemeji Village in Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State, has reported the death of three of his cows allegedly poisoned by suspected farm workers.

Umoru said his cattle, valued at about N3 million, died after consuming cassava tubers laced with a grey powdery substance believed to be poison along a farm path near the property of one Sunday Sanni.

He alleged that two of Sanni’s farm workers, including one known as “Yellow,” had earlier assaulted his son, Abu Abubakar, and inflicted machete cuts on six of his cows before the poisoning incident.

Following the complaint, one of the suspects was arrested, while efforts are ongoing to track down the two accomplices who are currently at large.

Three cows poisoned, one suspect arrested in Odeda