April 01, (THEWILL) – Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, has disbursed livelihood grants to 2,094 women in the state to boost their Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) operations.
Abiodun made the disbursement at the flag-off ceremony of the relaunching of Oko’wo Dapo scheme in collaboration with Nigeria For Women Project (NFWP), at the MKO Abiola Int’l Stadium, Abeokuta, the state capital.
The governor said that grants became imperative because most of the women were entrepreneurs who lack financial capacity to run their businesses, hence, the need for the government to empower them through the scheme
He said that the womenfolks formed a vital economic bloc for the economic architecture of his administration, noting that the emplacement of various schemes was to financially and economically empower them
Abiodun stressed that out of estimated 7,535,007, 2021 population projection by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) for Ogun State, females are put at 3,788,932, which is 50.28%, saying the significant number of women cannot be overlooked, if the state truly desires sustainable development.
He divulged that the individual grants would be disbursed to three local government areas including Odeda, Ijebu North-East and Yewa North, adding that his government would soon re-launch the scheme in the remaining 17 LGAs of the state.
The governor also commended the Federal Government for the initiative of the Nigeria for Women Projects (NFWP), the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development and the World Bank, Abiodun said the choice of Ogun as one of the six states in each of the six geo-political zones of Nigeria for the implementation of the NFWP programme is commendable.
He said “We are going to witness the first phase of the disbursement of the individual livelihood grants to 2,094 beneficiaries, empowering them and relaunching the Oko’wo Dapo using the Nigeria For Women Project.”
“Our womenfolk are integral part of our financial inclusiveness agenda. We are committed to providing avenues for our women to gain power and control over their own lives and acquire requisite skills and technical know-how to make strategic choices.
“It is a critical aspect of achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development (SDG) Goal 5 – Gender Equality. On its own, Gender Equality provides more socioeconomic and political wherewithal for our women.
“At the macro level, it will go a long way in reducing poverty in the family; reduce gender-based violence and abuse in the society; and, further strengthen the economy. Therefore, empowering our women is not a favour to their gender, it is, in fact, one of the most viable approaches towards achieving sustainable economic development”, he added.
Those who graced the event included: Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari; Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development; Mrs Pauline Tallen, wives of the Kwara and Osun State governors, the World Bank Country Director, Mr Shubham Chaudhuri, among other dignitaries in attendance.
