FG donates relief, empowerment packages to Benue women

The Federal Government has extended relief and empowerment packages to women in Benue State as part of its efforts to cushion the effects of insecurity and economic hardship in the state. The Minister of Women Affairs,  Imaan Sulaiman Ibrahim, delivered the items and grants over the weekend in Makurdi on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.

Benue, which has faced recurring killings and displacement in recent years, turned out in large numbers to welcome the Minister at the Air Force Airstrip, where women and girls in colourful traditional attires lined the streets waving Nigerian flags.

At the Government House, the Minister met with His Excellency, Reverend Father Governor Hyacinth Alia, his Deputy Sir Sam Ode, the newly appointed Commissioner of Women Affairs, Hon Theresa Odachi Ikwue, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Women Affairs, Mrs. Scholastica Bem-Sor.

She conveyed the goodwill message of President Tinubu and the First Lady and outlined ongoing programmes of the Ministry, including economic empowerment schemes, protection of women and girls from gender-based violence, social investment initiatives for vulnerable families, and capacity-building for women in leadership.

Governor Alia, in his response, welcomed the intervention and highlighted his administration’s commitment to empowering women through appointments and programmes targeted at Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

The Minister also presented four hundred bags of rice, twenty bales of Ankara fabrics, fairly used clothes, pepper-grinding machines, and tailoring machines to women and vulnerable families. In addition, twenty women farmers received one million naira each, with an advance payment of ₦500,000 already disbursed and the balance scheduled for later in the year.

“In line with the directive of President Tinubu and the First Lady, we are putting money directly into the hands of women so they can be economically empowered and contribute meaningfully to national development,” Minister Imaan said.

She also extended cash support to other women’s groups and survivors of gender-based violence during the visit.

In recognition of her contributions, the Tiv people decorated the Minister in their traditional attire and conferred on her the title of Dooshima of Benue, meaning “the love of Benue people.”

The visit ended with the people and government of Benue expressing gratitude to the Federal Government for remembering them at a critical time.

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