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Women Will Lead Africa’s $29trn Economic Ambition, Says VP Shettima

Women Will Lead Africa’s $29trn Economic Ambition, Says VP Shettima
** Launches project #SheIsIncluded to bridge gender gaps in finance, economy
By: Our Reporter
In a move to advance gender equality and women’s economic empowerment, Vice President Kashim Shettima has declared that women will be at the forefront of Africa’s projected $29 trillion economic transformation.
He expressed strong conviction that gender inclusion is not merely a rhetorical commitment but a cornerstone of Nigeria’s national development agenda.

Senator Shettima stated this on Thursday in Abuja when he declared open the 2025 Gender Inclusion Conference and launched Project #SheIsIncluded to bridge gender gaps in finance and the broader economy.
The conference with the theme, “Breaking Barriers, Building Resilience for Sustainable Women’s Economic and Financial Inclusion,” builds on the 2024 Aso Accord for Economic and Financial Inclusion and underscores Nigeria’s commitment to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5: gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.
“We cannot build the Nigeria or Africa we envision without fully integrating women into our economic systems. Women are not just participants in our economy; they are leaders, innovators, and the bedrock of sustainable development,” the Vice President stated.
According to VP Shettima, Project #SheIsIncluded is built on four key pillars of education and financial literacy, maternal healthcare, gender-sensitive policies and programmes, and expanded economic opportunities for women.

He also announced that the initiative will reach all 774 local government areas across Nigeria to ensure that no woman is left behind.
“Our commitment to gender inclusion is not a cosmetic performance to placate the sensibilities of progressives; it is a fundamental pillar of our national development agenda. We are not just assuring the women of Nigeria of their place in our collective journey—we are creating the pathways for them to lead the charge,” VP Shettima said.
He explained that the project “is not just about meeting quotas—it is about unlocking the full potential of our people to drive the broader economic goals of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.”
The Vice President noted that the initiative will be spearheaded by the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion in partnership with the Ministry of Women Affairs.
“To build an inclusive economic ecosystem where all Nigerians, regardless of gender, can contribute and benefit, we must redouble our efforts and align with global best practices. We must be relentless in our pursuit of Sustainable Development Goal 5—achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls,” he affirmed.
He emphasised that the two-day conference is more than just a forum for discussion as it is an avenue for serious reflection and practical strategising on how to build an inclusive nation. He urged both public and private sector stakeholders to take the opportunity to outline actionable steps towards active participation in the gender inclusion agenda.
“I look forward to the recommendations that will emerge from this conference, knowing that they will shape the future of gender inclusion in Nigeria,” VP Shettima added.
In her remarks, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere- Ekun, said the conference was an important milestone in the collective effort to outline ways of breaking barriers to empowering women and promoting inclusion.
She said gender inclusion was a key enabler of sustainable development and central to addressing poverty and fostering economic growth, noting that it should translate into financial independence, wealth creation, and leadership development for women across different sectors.
The CJN assured that the judiciary will work in partnership with stakeholders to ensure that the rights of women to access economic resources and ownership of property, among others, are protected and not subjected to the dictates of individuals or obsolete cultural practices and stereotypes.
In a recorded message to the occasion, the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Dr Amina Mohammed, said the conference marked a critical step towards Nigeria’s journey to gender inclusion, women empowerment, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
She said gender equality and inclusion is not just an aspiration but a foundation for sustainable development, peace, and development across the world and urged all to invest in women’s empowerment, noting that when women are empowered, communities prosper, economies grow, and societies advance.
Earlier, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Office of the Vice President), Sen. Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, said VP Shettima’s support and push for inclusive growth resonates with everything that he has done since assuming office and is central to the agenda of the National Economic Council (NEC).
Sen. Hadejia said the “She’s Included” Conference is aimed at breaking barriers, challenging stereotypes, and building systems that support women’s empowerment across the country and serving as a model for gender equity in Nigeria, providing a guide to subsequent efforts and interventions aimed at integrating and empowering women across the country and beyond.
On her part, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman Ibrahim, said the conference offers a unique opportunity to strengthen strategic frameworks for dismantling all barriers towards the actualisation of all women empowerment programmes and initiatives.
In the same vein, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State said the goals of the conference aligned with the agenda of the State Government on gender and economic inclusion, targeting women and vulnerable groups through the Kaduna State policy on women empowerment.
He highlighted programmes by the state government that have impacted women across agriculture, commerce, and different areas of the MSMEs, noting that the time to remove all impediments to women’s empowerment and inclusion was now and must be supported by all stakeholders.
On his part, Jigawa State Governor, Umar Namadi, said that given the position of women in the society, empowering them is an imperative and a step in the right direction that must be sustained, declaring that Jigawa in realisation of this great potential has placed itself as a champion and model for women empowerment in Nigeria.
He said that girl child education in the state is free at all levels and is tracked across the state, noting that it is a deliberate policy of the State Government to stimulate and improve rural economy.
In the same vein, Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, commended the conveners for the initiative, noting that it is a call to action, noting that his administration is deliberate about pursuing policies on inclusion and uplifting of women with the aim of harnessing their productive potentials.
Giving an overview of the conference, the Technical Adviser to the President on Economic and Financial Inclusion, Dr Nurudeen Zauro, said the conference presents a formidable platform for transformation, alignment of goals, sharing of insights, and designing of actionable plans that will break barriers and build resilience that will lead to financial inclusion across the country.
On his part, the Founder/GMD Moniepoint Microfinance Bank, Mr. Tosin Eniolorunda, said inclusion must be at the core of the strategy to build a trillion-naira economy, hence the need to support the “She’sIncluded” initiative.
He said inclusion is not a charity but an economic imperative, noting that empowering women is akin to driving economic growth and described women as economic drivers, assuring that Moneipoint remains committed to the actualisation of the ideals of women’s inclusion initiative.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Body of Banks’ CEOs and GMD/CEO of UBA Group, Mr Oliver Alawuba commended the Vice President’s Office for convening the first conference on gender inclusion, noting that it is a clear testament of the President Tinubu administration’s commitment to fostering and supporting an inclusive society.
He emphasized the need for all stakeholders to be deliberate about empowering women, restating that it is synonymous with unlocking the full potential of our society and economy, noting that when women succeed, families flourish, and the nation thrives.
Also present at the event were the CEO of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi; the first ladies of Jigawa, Katsina and the CEOs of financial institutions and other partners.
Women Will Lead Africa’s $29trn Economic Ambition, Says VP Shettima
News
VP Shettima’s Agricultural Assessment Visit To Ethiopia

VP Shettima’s Agricultural Assessment Visit To Ethiopia
By: Our Reporter
An agricultural economist by training whose love for agricultural transformation and development has never been hidden, as demonstrated recently when he visited the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan for an on-the-spot assessment of the Institute’s crops and resource potentials, Vice President Kashim Shettima today embarked on an assessment of the popular Adama Industrial Zone near Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.
Farms visited by the Vice President for the on-the-spot assessment included the Adama Dairy Farms, Luke Avocado Nursery site, Shera Dibandiba Mojo Family Integrated Farm, Biyyo Poultry Farm, and the Bishoftu Pea Farm.
While speaking on areas of agricultural collaboration between both countries, the Vice President ordered specialised coffee beans seeds for massive production in Nigeria while also directing the immediate training of selected Nigerian agricultural extension farmers on the production of specialized avocado seedlings for the Nigerian market.
VP Shettima also sought an exchange of mechanisation technologies between both countries, stressing that the potential of both Nigeria’s and Ethiopia’s agricultural sectors was capable of capturing world markets, especially when fully harnessed and exploited.
VP Shettima’s Agricultural Assessment Visit To Ethiopia
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Leboku-in-Abuja 2025 Festival Celebrates New Year Festival to Bolster Nigeria’s Rich Cultural Heritage

Leboku-in-Abuja 2025 Festival Celebrates New Year Festival to Bolster Nigeria’s Rich Cultural Heritage
By: Michael Mike
One of the nation’s most celebrated events, the New Year Festival would berth in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as the Kedei Seh Umor-Otutu, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy stage the Lenoku-in-Abuja 2025.
It promises to bolster Nigeria’s cultural heritage and showcase the rich cultural heritage of the Yakurr people in Cross River, the South-South and South-East in the nation and the world at large.

Addressing a pre-festival press conference in Abuja, President of Kedei Seh Umor-Otutu, a community-based association, Queency Patrick said the forthcoming festival with the theme: “A celebration of heritage, unity and harvest,” is one of the kind.
She explained that Lenoku-in-Abuja 2025 is an internationally acclaimed New Yam festival that is celebrated on August 30 in Abuja, under auspices of Kedei Seh Umor-Otutu, an association of Ugep people living in the FCT.

Patrick said: “Leboku-in-Abuja-2025 aligns with national goals of cultural preservation, inter-ethnic harmony and in promoting Nigeria as a cultural destination.
“The Federal Capital Territory provides the ideal backdrop to unite heritage and modernity, welcoming all who believe in peace, identity and pride of origin.

“For us, it is not just a cultural event, it is a call to national unity, peace and cultural tourism development.
“It is also an opportunity for us to showcase the rich cultural heritage of the Yakurr people in Cross River, the South-South and South-East in the nation and the world at large.”
She further explained that: “The event fosters appreciation of Nigeria’s diverse ethnic-root and culture. Leboku-in-Abuja is more than a festival, it is a stage for celebrating our cultural identity, building bridges through tradition and encouraging investment in the creative economy and tourism sector.”

According to her, Mr Obi Asika, DirectorGeneral/CEO of the National Council for Arts and Culture, had in a letter which formally endorsed the association’s collaboration with government described Leboku-in-Abuja, as annual New Yam Festival celebrated in Abuja by Yakurr people of Cross River.
Patrick further quoted him by saying the Leboku festival, deeply rooted in the traditions of the Yakurr people of Cross River, has long been a symbol of unity, celebration, and agricultural prosperity.
Asika, in the letter noted that: “Bringing this renowned festival to Abuja will provide a unique opportunity for cultural exchange, tourism development, and deeper appreciation of our diverse traditions.
“It aligns with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and NCAC’s mandate to promote arts and culture, as essential drivers or Nigeria’s creative economy,” Asika added.

Patrick revealed the event would provide platform for public lecture, economic empowerment, traditional food festival, cultural and arts exhibition, sports, agriculture, trade and tourism development.
The event scheduled to hold at the Bolton White event centre, Wuse Zone 7, Abuja is centered on promoting unity and peace with the toga: “One Yam, One People.”
Leboku-in-Abuja 2025 Festival Celebrates New Year Festival to Bolster Nigeria’s Rich Cultural Heritage
News
Crisis brews in Gombe SDP as Yakubu emerges acting chairman

Crisis brews in Gombe SDP as Yakubu emerges acting chairman
The Gombe State chapter of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has appointed a new chairman, Aaron Yakubu to serve in acting capacity following the suspension of its state chairman, Comrade Adamu Abubakar Modibbo, over allegations of mismanagement, lack of transparency, and misuse of party resources.
His suspension was announced at a news conference held in Gombe on Saturday by the party’s Welfare Secretary, Usman Yahaya, on behalf of concerned members of the state executive.
Reading the statement, Yahaya said there were countless complaints against the now suspended chairman, whom he said had side-lined party stakeholders and running the party like his personal property.
“Since Comrade Modibbo assumed office, the party has experienced no meaningful progress. Instead, the leadership claims he has used his position to witch-hunt loyal stakeholders and frustrated committed party members for his personal gain.”
He accused Modibbo of systematically “caging” the party’s executive members and aspirants, depriving over 90% of both returning and newly acting executive members of access to official SDP membership cards.
He further alleged that the selection of party candidates has been done without due process or consultation, with names being announced solely via national platforms involving prominent figures like Malam Nasir El-Rufai, thereby side-lining the state executive.
Yahaya also accused the suspended chairman of allegedly using his personal residence as the de facto party office.
This, the executives say, violates proper procedures and comes despite funds being made available to renovate the official state party office and rent offices across the local government areas.
“As it stands, the SDP in Gombe State does not have a functional or recognised operational office,”
In the light of the above weighty and numerous allegations against Modibbo, the Welfare Secretary said that the Gombe State chapter of the party has taken decisive action by suspending Comrade Adamu Abubakar Modibbo as chairman with immediate effect.
“In this regard, we hereby announce that the current State Secretary of the party, Mr. Aaron Yakubu, will now serve as the Acting State Chairman of the SDP in Gombe.
“Similarly, Ambassador Lukman Adamu Elkanem, previously serving as the Acting Assistant Public Relations Officer, has now been appointed as the Acting State Secretary of the party.”
Yahaya, on behalf of the state chapter of the SDP, appealed for intervention from the national body of the party to look into the allegations against the former chairman and to restore discipline, accountability, and credible leadership to the Gombe chapter of the party.
Speaking shortly in an interview, Yakubu said he would work to build inclusiveness in the party and ensure all party members were carried along in line with the constitution of the party.
He stated that out of the 13 working committee members of the party, nine were present and in support of the suspension of Modibbo.
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