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Monarch Embarks On Initiative to End Early Girl Child Marriage

by Women Times on

The Monarch of Omor, Anambra State, Igwe Oranu Chris Chidume, EzeAna-Ukwu, Eze Igulube and his council members have embarked on a project called: “The Girl Child Education Project” to eradicate early girl child marriage in the state.

Also, the Omor Monarch expressed displeasure in some parents giving out their underage daughters to marriage due to poverty and illiteracy.

He stated this during his 5th anniversary on the throne of Omor, and the celebration of the annual Ofala Festival.

He noted that the community is presently confronted with the challenge underage girls in Ayamelum being given out in early marriages, describing it as unlawful practice.

“From our understanding and my personal investigation, we have come to find out that the parents that are giving out their under aged daughters in marriages are doing so because of their low economic status and ignorance.

“As a result of this, Omor people, through the guidance of the Supreme Elders Council, the Omor Royal Cabinet, Ozo Omor Title Holders, and others resolved to embark on a project called: “The Girl Child Education Project”

“This project will commence with the construction of a befitting Girls’ Secondary School with boarding facilities here in Omor. By this act, Omor people have taken the first step and seized the initiative to provide a parcel of land big enough for this purpose, and also to envisage the anticipated growth the school will experience, given the population of not just Omor, but the entire Ayamelum and its environs.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, it breaks my heart to inform you that as I speak to you this afternoon, there is no school in Ayamelum dedicated to the education of the Girl Child, hence the importance of supporting this project.

“I therefore, call on well-meaning Anambriarians, particularly the Anambra State Government under the leadership of Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, CFR., Distinguished Senator Stella Adaeze Oduah, the Senator representing Anambra North Senatorial zone, Honourable Vincent Ofumelu, the Honourable Member representing Ayamelum/Oyi Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Rt. Honourable Uche Okafor, the Speaker, and the Honourable member representing Ayamelum Constituency in the Anambra State House Assembly, friends and allies of Omor, our in-laws and anybody in the society who appreciates what education can do in the life of the Girl Child and by implication, the society.

“We are all aware that the most effective way to enhance civilization is to invest in the education of the Girl Child which invariably means that she would become an educated woman and mother. It is my hope that this appeals to your sensibilities, and that you would find it a worthy cause to support.”Igwe Oranu stressed.

In her goodwill message, the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Anambra State, Ify Obinabo, noted that Igwe has interest in protecting the girl child, thanking him for this great step.

In her words, “Because Igwe has interest that girl child is protected, that is why he is championing this notable project Omor Girls Secondary School, and we are grateful the Igwe wants to build a house where we will be putting the under-age girls we rescue from child trafficking and early marriage. If you don’t train your child girl child, you will suffer it at old age because it is the women that take care of their aged parents.”

On her part, Mrs Eberechukwu Obiano, the wife of the former Governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano, who wants to represent Omor/Oyi Federal Constituency, pledged that if she becomes a Senator, she will support every project geared towards development of the constituency, especially that of the girl child.

She said, “During my eight years as governor’s wife, I have supported the cause of girl child. I am very glad that Igwe has the mind to change the narrative of the girl child from early marriage. I am fully in support of the girls secondary school.

“I am going to Senate because my husband asked me to do so, that he is in support and I will not let you down. As governor’s wife, I have empowered women through artisanian training and provisions of machinery and equipment, after which, I will support them with take-off funds. I will do more if elected senator.”

Also, Hon. Barr. Vincent Ofume, Member representing Ayamelum/Oyi Federal Constituency, who is popularly called Mr. Project, promised to donate one building in the Girls Secondary School, adding that he will do more.

He noted that he was a product of community project, adding that it was the school built through community project that he attended and became what he is today.

Also, Rt. Honourable Uche Okafor, Speaker, Anambra State House Assembly, expressed that everything Omor concerns him, adding that he benefitted from community project that were done by elders, especially the community Secondary School built with community effort.

“Girls Secondary School is a great project that all of us have to put resources together to achieve. I will take charge of the school fencing,” he pledged.

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Woman with World’s Largest Feet Calls Out Shoemakers, Shoe Manufacturers

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Tanya Herbert has the largest feet of any living woman according to Guinness World Records.

“I have the world’s largest foot on a living female. My foot measures at 33 centimeters long. I wear a size 16-17 in men’s and a size 18 in women’s.”

But finding shoes in her size is difficult,finding ones she loves is even harder.

She’s now reaching out to shoemakers in the hope of designing stylish women’s shoes for big feet.

“Yes, since my record went public in November, multiple women have reached out to me. Close to 50 women have reached out to me saying, ‘Thank you for sharing your story, I wear a size 14 in women’s and it’s so difficult for me to find shoes,’ and so they ask me where I find my shoes at. And they wear size 15 in women’s, so it’s been very motivational to me, to hear all these women reaching out to me saying, ‘Yes, we need your help, we need to get these shoe manufacturing companies to listen and hear us that we’re out here, we have big feet, we want cute shoes!’”

Credit: Reuters

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Omolaraeni Olaosebikan, McEnies Global Comms. CEO Makes List As ARCON Inducts 3 Fellows, 22 Associates Of Advertising

by Women Times on

The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, (ARCON) has inducted into its fold, Omolaraeni Olaosebikan, as an associate member along with other eminent Nigerians on Wednesday, December 7, 2022, in Lagos.

 

The event which took place in Maryland, Lagos had 25 inductees into ARCON altogether, 22 for Associate membership and 3 for Fellow.

 

ARCON, which is seen to be expanding its membership is the apex advertising, advertisement, and marketing communications’ regulatory agency of the Federal Government, and in accordance with its statutory mandates, responsibilities, and powers as conveyed by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria Act No. 23 of 2022.

 

Omolaraeni who is the Chief Executive Officer of McEnies Global Communications with this latest certification now has the full legal rights to establish a full-fledged advertising agency and explore opportunities in outdoor advertising and other independent media space.

 

In a chat with the pressmen, Omolaraeni one of the inductees expressed appreciation for the honour done to her by ARCON which according to her will serve as a boost to her advertising and PR practices.

 

She also praised the council, describing it as very professional, thorough, disciplined, and dynamic in its conducts as well as policy thrust.

 

The Ekiti-born marketing communication guru encouraged young and upcoming advertising practitioners to work hard and always put God first in their dealings while also embracing the ethics of advertising.

 

Omolaraeni, who had handled many blue-chip accounts for over a decade enjoined young practitioners to continue to develop their abilities in serving and satisfying their clients.

The elated Omolaraeni added that with the certification, she was ready to explore more opportunities in the sector; thanked ARCON leadership especially the DG, for the honour done to her and several other esteemed Nigerians on Wednesday and prayed for continued success of council.

 

“You can’t set up agency without getting approval from ARCON and for us stakeholders we are pleased to see this critical sector to be regulated by this reputable council. I am also happy to see this platform creating understanding on how to deal with clients and agency across the entire value chain. One thing I have also learned is that wherever you find your feet, do good and God will bless your works. ARCON is a prestigious professional body, and it must be respected so and I am proud to be part of it.” Omolaraeni said

On his own part, Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo, FCA, rpa, the Director-General of the ARCON after administering oath on the inductees emphasized on the four areas where inductees can use their certificates in both indoor and outdoor advertising, he also talked about the new ARCON’s Act which puts the regulatory body in good stead to carry out its duties, since it takes care of gaps in the former APCON Act. One of such gaps, he said, is the control of new media and online advertisement, which he believed was not taken care of in the APCON Act.

 

According to Dr. Fadolapo the council is now empowered under law to effectively regulate and enhance inclusive growth. He assured stakeholders that ARCON is not regulating to strangulate, adding that, all it plans to achieve with these new regulatory powers is to ensure good corporate governance and inclusive growth in the sector.

 

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Ezekwesili Tasks Citizens to Fight Monopolistic Democracy

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Nigeria’s former Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, has encouraged participation from the public in the fight against monopolistic democracy.

She stated this at the Office Of The Citizen inauguration, which was organised by #FixPolitics.

 

The important thing, according to Ezekwesili, who is also the founder of #FixPolitics, is that there has been a phenomenal shift in political engagement.

“The apathy and lethargy of Nigerians are what made the political class monopolist of our democracy; now that monopoly will gradually be broken up and what we are doing today is to further accentuate the quality of engagement that citizens must have to break the democracy from being a monopoly in our country to be truly competitive.

“A competitive democracy is what leads to better quality governance. We now know that without quality governance, we are not going anywhere with development.”

Ezekwesili defined monopolistic democracy as a situation similar to a marketplace monopoly, adding that citizens must actively participate in governance to break the political elite’s monopolistic tendencies.

Monopolistic democracy exists in Nigeria and some African countries, she noted, because citizens are not empowered to participate actively in democratic processes.

“The reason we have monopolistic democracy is because we have citizens that cannot engage,” she said.

The Chief Executive Officer, School of Politics, Policy and Governance, Mrs Alero Otobo, said the institution would give community organisers more power to sway voters.

SPPG’s work study group came up with the initiative, a social campaign project that aims to encourage civic engagement.

Speaking on citizens’ awareness ahead of the 2023 elections, she said there’s was phenomenal shift.

“I think Nigerians are already coming to that place that I had prayed for so many years. Many citizens are participating in the democratic process. In the 2019 elections, we could not get citizens at the level that we are getting them now.

“We are seeing that the young and the women are all engaged. When you see people who deride the interest of Nigerians in politics saying ‘it is about social media’, don’t mind them, ignore them,” she warned.

In her address, the Coordinating Chair of #FixPolitics Work Study Group 1, Mrs Bolatito Adeniyi-Aderoju, reminded citizens that “by voting, we give authority to leaders to manage our collective resources. So, we must seek to choose leaders the way we choose football teams; elect leaders with competence, capacity and character. We need to vote in all elections, especially elective positions close to the people, like local government chairmen and councillors.

“With the OOTC activation, citizens can become community organisers, who help communities understand how the political process works to deliver public goods and services to Nigerians.”

She noted that more information on the OOTC and community organising initiatives could be found at  www.OOTCNigeria.org.

FixPolitics Work Study Group 1  is responsible for moulding an empowered and engaged electorate, as well as activating the OOTC and community organising initiatives. Community organisers will be trained by the SPPG .

Nigerian rapper and record producer, Jude Abaga, popularly known as M.I. Abaga, said, at the event, that the idea to work on raising awareness of the office of the citizen came up because the supply side of politics was underperforming and needed to be energised to improve the calibre of people entering the political space to run for elective offices.

In his vote of thanks, the Executive Director, #FixPolitics, Anthony Ubani, said, “From the inception of #FixPolitics, our vision has been to activate the OOTC and develop a political class of servant-leaders.”

He added, “Citizens are the foundation of a nation. Indeed the OOTC is the most important office in a democracy.

“Any reform solution designed to correct the structural imbalances in Nigeria must necessarily begin with educating, enlightening and empowering citizens to be able to play their role effectively and productively in our democratic system of government. This is why we are taking the historic step of activating the OOTC today.”

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Influential Nigerians Team Up to support Women and Girls During 16days of Activism Campaigns

by Women Times on

On the eve of the 16 days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence, 24th November 2022, Change.org and Industry Nite, founded by Matthew Ohio, will kickstart the 16 days of Activism Campaign to sensitize Nigerians about the issues impacting women and girls in Nigeria and across the globe.

The two organizations are joined by the United Nations, African Development Bank and other impactful organizations including Invictus Africa, founded by Bukola Shonibare, Nordic Hotels, Eyowo, Sanaa Afrika, with support from influencers and creatives such as Blaqbonez, Dija, Alhanislam and goodwill messages from renowned American poets and songwriters like J Ivy, Aja Monet and Defi.

The expression of power is the fundamental driver of violence against women and girls – this is why advocacy for gender equality is critical, if we must exponentially eradicate sexual and gender based violence worldwide. Gender equality and gender based violence emerged as the largest topics of discussion and decision maker engagement with over 9 victories in Nigeria via Change.org.

There are several petitions on the platform with a combined supporter base of 500K+ people that address the issue of child marriage in Nigeria, and sexual harrassment accounts for about 25% of all petitions started on our platform,” said Wale Ajiboye, Change.org Nigeria’s Country Director. Hence, the need for us to take action now!

According to UNWomen,The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual campaign that begins on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs through to the International Human Rights Day on 10 December. Led by civil society, the campaign is supported by the United Nations through the Secretary General’s UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence against Women initiative. This year, the UN marks the 16 Days under the theme “UNiTE! Activism to end violence against women and girls”.

“We are thrilled to be working together on the 16 Days of Activism initiative,” says Matthew Ohio, Founder of Industry Nite. “Industry Nite has helped many upcoming and successful female artists, including Tiwa Savage and Ayra Starr, over the last 13 years. This month’s show features incredible female talents in music, dance, and spoken word – these creatives will speak on behalf of our women and girls – with the aim of raising awareness”

Change.org is the world’s largest and fastest-growing platform for social change, where its users can start, sign and share petitions on issues that matter to them. More than 450 million people use Change.org in around 196 countries. Launched in Nigeria in August 2021, Change.org currently has about 3 million users in the country and has successfully piloted its movement accelerator, She Creates Change and We Create Change, which is an incubator for civil society leaders who collectively use their voices for change.

For more information and partnership: contact:

Wale Ajiboye, Country Director Nigeria Change.org wajiboye@change.org
Matthew Ohio, Founder Industry Nite and movement leader – mohio@thesanaa.xyz Bukky Shonibare, Founder, Invictus Africa and movement leader – bukky@invictus.ng

Change.org is the world’s largest petition platform, empowering people everywhere to create the change they want to see. Visit www.change.org.

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UNODC, UN, Others Partner to Tackle Conflict-Related Sexual Violence

by Women Times on

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Wayamo Foundation and the United Nations Team of Experts of the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict are set to address conflict-related sexual violence especially in Northeast Nigeria.

The organisations recently partnered to conduct two capacity building workshops for Nigerian investigators and prosecutors on the investigation and prosecution of international crimes, with a special focus on conflict-related sexual violence.

A statement by UNODC, Communications Associate, Ms. Olivia Ogechi Okorondu, said the two workshops were conducted under the framework of the recently established project, “Strengthening Nigerian Capacity in the Investigation and Prosecution of International Crimes, with a Special Focus on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence” a joint initiative of the three entities.

The statement also noted that the project, which aims to increase accountability for acts of sexual violence allegedly committed by all parties to the conflict in Northeast Nigeria, seeks to build the capacity of prosecutors from the Federal Ministry of Justice’s Complex Case Group (CCG) and Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) Prosecution Hub.

The statement revealed that although conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) is not yet specifically recognized as a distinct offence under Nigerian law, the project aims to broaden the collective understanding of acts that amount to CRSV, such as sexual slavery, forced marriage, forced pregnancy, that fall outside more commonly acknowledged forms of sexual violence in Nigeria, such as rape and sexual harassment, captured by the Criminal Code, Penal Code and Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act.

 

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Woman Who Jumped into Lagos Lagoon, DSS Operative, Source Reveals

by Women Times on

By Biodun Busari

The woman who jumped into the Lagos Lagoon on Thursday has been identified as Adetutu Adedokun, a member of staff of the country’s secret police known as the Department of State Services (DSS).

A source confirmed in a report published by Channels Television on Friday that Adedokun was said to be an unarmed combat instructor who had recently martially got engaged.

Meanwhile the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, revealed in a statement on Thursday said the driver of the taxi claimed she was having an argument with her fiancé before alighting from the car and jumping into the lagoon.

Oke-Osanyintolu, in a fresh confirmation on Friday, claimed that the search and rescue team was still on the water trying to locate the body.

Adedokun, who is in her late 30s, was also said to have received a letter of commendation front the Director General of DSS as the best-unarmed combat operative in her set, few months ago.

The victim’s fiancé was also reported to have proposed to her a few weeks ago. She had alighted from an Uber taxi car on the bridge and plunged into the lagoon Thursday afternoon. The driver of the taxi claimed she was having a heated conversation with her fiance before alighting from the car.

Vanguard reported that Oke-Osayintolu had on Thursday said, “Upon the arrival of the Lagos Response Team at the incident scene, investigation revealed that a lady in her late 30s plunged into the Lagos lagoon.

“Further investigation revealed that the lady alighted from an Uber taxi car on the bridge and plunged into the lagoon.

”The driver of the taxi claimed she was having a heated conversation with her fiancé before alighting from the car.

“The LRT, men of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Services, LASWA and officials of the Department of State Services are currently on ground working together to search for the victim.”

The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotosho, said rescue teams after intense search and rescue efforts were unable to find the victim.

He said, “The rescue teams called off their search by 7pm because it was already dark. They will continue the search tomorrow (Friday); you know it is water, the wave would have taken the body somewhere else. But we will search everywhere.”

Credit: Vanguard

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NHRC in 8-Month Received 248,960 Complaints of Violence Against Women, Children

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The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has reported that it received 248,960 complaints of violence against women and children in eight (8) month as of August 2022.

Tony Ojukwu, Executive Secretary,NHCR disclosed this when he received the African Union (AU) monitoring team on ending child marriage recently.

Ojukwu, represented by Benedict Agu, his special assistant, said the commission received over one million complaints on various human rights issues within eight months.

“The National Human Rights Commission (NHCR) has received one million, three hundred and seventy-eight thousand, one hundred and eighty (1,378,180) complaints across 14 thematic areas of focus as at August 2022,” the statement reads.

“Women, children and gender issues stood at 248,960 cases, made up of 128,500 cases on strict sexual and gender-based violence (rape, sex violence and other domestic violence issues).

“129,960 complaints were on gender based discrimination, harmful cultural practices, forceful marriage, sexual and reproductive rights, denial of access to children, denial of inheritance, abandonment (of women), women trafficking, child marriage and child sexual abuse.

“In specifics, harmful traditional practices accounted for 2,460 cases, while child marriage accounted for 580 cases.”

Hermaine Kembo, a Cameroonian magistrate, who led the African Union (AU) monitoring team, said the purpose of the visit was to examine measures employed by the commission in tackling human rights issues.

Kembo said Nigeria had launched a campaign to end child marriage and other harmful practices six years ago, adding that the visit was to enable them to track its progress and replicate same in other parts of Africa.

“We are back to see how far you have gone with the successes and challenges,” she added.

Speaking further, the NHRC official said a department has been established to “track policies and other developments around human rights of these critical persons of interest in Nigeria”.

 

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Woman Finds Hope in Safe Birth of Twins, After Losing Everything in Home Burned in Conflict

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Rebecca Wimana was seven months pregnant when she lost her house in Jomba in the conflict raging in Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“When I heard the bombings, we left the house with the children to go and hide in the bush. In the evening, when there was a lull, we came back and found that our house was burned down,” she said.

Ms. Wimana was alone at the time as her husband was looking for work in Kampala in Uganda. Heavily pregnant, she and her five children walked seven kilometres to Tata Mwami Rugabo II stadium, a camp for displaced persons. They arrived tired, hungry and without any possessions.

“I had no hope because I lost everything when my house was burned,” she said.

The camp was set up for people displaced by armed clashes between the soldiers of the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) and the rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23). A large part of the population has been displaced to Rutshuru, as well as the borders with Uganda and Rwanda.

Providing vital sexual and reproductive health services

A few weeks later, twins Mwayonimana and Issaka Kwiseka were born to Ms. Wimana at Rutshuru Health Centre, which is supported by UNFPA as part of the Emergency Reproductive Health Response Project for people affected by the humanitarian crisis in Rutshuru, with UNCERF funding. Ms. Wimana was assisted by trained personnel to avoid potential complications, and the newborns received essential birth care.

“I am really happy because I gave birth without any cost and without any problems, thanks to the medical staff who took care of me,” she said.

The new mum, named “Nyabadeux”, which means mother of twins, received a delivery kit and information on modern contraceptive methods for family planning, the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA) and gender-based violence (GBV) from UNFPA-supported humanitarian midwife, Fyfy Omoy.

“The big difficulty is to find enough to feed [my] family and to clothe these babies, who are still naked except for the two pieces of loincloth that I divided to cover them,” Ms. Wimana said.

Health facilities affected by the crisis

Health facilities in the Rutshuru and Rwanguba health zones have been overwhelmed since the beginning of the M23 crisis in March this year. An estimated 33,000 households of about 166,000 people have been displaced in Rutshuru territory, according to a report from a multi-sectoral assessment mission conducted by UNOCHA in April.

Deliveries at Rutshuru Health Centre have doubled, up from 73 deliveries a month to 150 deliveries. The facility does not have a large capacity, according to Head Nurse Jean de Dieu Bakuru: “The capacity of our structure has become insufficient. We are even beginning to refer women who do not have high-risk pregnancies, for fear of not knowing where to put them after delivery. For the prenatal consultation, for example, we used to receive 37 to 40 women, but now we have 197 women. Hence the urgent need to raise awareness about family planning,” she said.

In addition to houses and schools burned and looted during the clashes in Jomba region, several health facilities were looted and destroyed. At least 8 of the 21 health facilities in Rwanguba Health Zone have been looted, according to local civil society, as reported by UNOCHA. The same applies to Bugusa and Chengerero, which were emptied of medicine supplies and medical equipment.

In response to the crisis in Rutshuru, UNFPA supports five health facilities and a general referral hospital with a grant and reproductive health kits for 10,000 vulnerable people. In addition, 950 dignity kits have been distributed to survivors of sexual violence and visibly pregnant and lactating women. This care is being provided to internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees and host communities in the health zones of Rutshuru and Rwanguba.

 

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NACCIMA Urges FG to Support Women In Agriculture

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The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) has urged the Federal Government to increase its support for women in agriculture as this would help boost the agricultural sector in the country.

The National President, NACCIMA, Ide John Udeagbala, made the call during the Nigerian International Women Entrepreneur Exhibition (NIWEX) 2022 in Lagos recently.

Represented by the Vice-President, NACCIMA, Kola Akosile, said the call had become necessary because women still encountered issues such as socio-cultural challenges, which hinder their potential to contribute their quota to agricultural development.

He added that women constituted about 70 percent of the workforce in the agricultural sector, making their contributions significant.

Specifically, he noted that they were involved in diverse processes of the agricultural value chain to ensure that food production, processing and even marketing were made easy, thereby ensuring sustainable delivery of food in the country.

“Agriculture is an important engine for growth and poverty reduction, but the sector seems to be underperforming because women in urban and rural economies face constraints that reduce their productivity.

“In view of these challenges women face in the area of agriculture, production and processing, let me use this medium to encourage our women to intensify their efforts in promoting agricultural production through made-in-Nigeria products,” he said.

On her part, Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperative, Lagos State, Mrs. Lola Akande, said women had the potential to transform the economy if given the right opportunities and encouragement. Represented by Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Mrs. Adetutu Ososanya, said the event’s theme was apt considering the fact that women contribute to the bulk of the population and their roles in feeding families.

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