Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, Wife of Ondo State Governor, has called on government at all levels to intensify efforts on women empowerment for rapid development and poverty reduction in the country.
Anyanwu-Akeredolu made the call at the graduation and closing ceremony of the one month skill acquisition and empowerment programme for young women on Saturday in Akure.
The programme was organised by the Ondo State Skill Acquisition and Empowerment Programme (OSSA-EP), in collaboration with the office of the wife of the governor.
According to reports, 60 young women and widows from Ondo Central Senatorial District were trained on seven different skills, including fashion design, tye and dye, wig and bag making.
Each of the trainees were empowered with start-up kits, including sewing machines and cash, by the wife of the governor.
Anyanwu-Akeredolu said that was the only way to bring the country out of its current state of penury and unacceptable level of poverty.
She said that half of the country’s population should be empowered and made to have sense of belonging.
“You want Nigeria to be economically developed or be counted among developed nations, and half of your women population are illiterates and unemployed. How do you think you can progress?
“But it is not a rocket science to change the narrative of women in the country. All that is required is for somebody to sit down, come up with a purposeful plan and execute a meaningful programme.
“One of such plans is what we are doing today with the aim to transform and make the life of beneficiaries better.
“This is different from half programmes where they train people without providing them tools for practice.
“If we can rise up against this, the way people look at the government will equally change because government is for the people and put in place to serve the people,” Anyanwu-Akeredolu said.
She, therefore, called on women in position of authority to always support their fellow women so that the poverty level in the state and the country would reduce significantly.
“Many women fail to recognise that for us to change the story of women, we must support fellow women because we don’t have “Girls Brigade” like the boys do.
“Women supporting women is not by mouth. If you are in position of authority, give life line to a fellow woman because it has a multiplier effect as it will continue going on and on,” she said.
The wife of the governor, who advised all the beneficiaries to make use of the start-up kits rather than selling them, admonished widows in Ondo State to key-into widows projects in the state by login on to the website: www.ondowidows.com for registration.
“About four widows benefited today. You don’t have to know me or belong to the APC before you can benefit from our various empowerments in the state.
“We are proud that we contribute to reduction of poverty level in Ondo State by empowering our women,” she said.