Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has applauded Federal Government for initiating the Rural Women’s Special Cash Grant.
Governor Sule who gave the commendation during the flag-off of the programme in Lafia promised to complement the initiative by empowering rural women across the state.
The governor who was represented by his deputy, Dr Emmanuel Agbadu Akabe noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had put Nigerians especially women in a critical situation which called for urgent redress.
“Let me commend the minister for initiating this programme which targets the vulnerable segment in the society especially the womenfolk with a view to ameliorating the hardship occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic.
“The clamour for the liberation of women from the shackles of poverty, deprivation and backwardness has been the desire of successive administrations in this country.
“There is no doubt that the effect of this situation on our already traumatised women who largely reside in the rural areas, leaves much to be desired and calls for urgent attention to ameliorate this disturbing condition.
“It is against this background that I commend the revolutionary vision and indeed the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR and the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs to reach out and support our rural women to enable them to overcome this ugly phenomenon before it degenerates to a full-blown crisis.”
Earlier in her address, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq who was represented by the Minister of State, Science & Technology, Barr. Mohammed Hassan Abdullahi stated that 2,600 rural women drawn from the five Local Government Councils in Nasarawa State including Awe, Lafia, Wamba, Kokona and Nasarawa will benefit from the special grant.
The minister who expressed optimism that the grant will alleviate the hardship occasioned by the pandemic and relieve them of extreme poverty assured the state of more prospects and Federal Government’s interventions in the nearest future.
“The Special Cash Grant for Rural Women programme being flagged off today was introduced in 2020 by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development as part of President Mohammadu Buhari’s social inclusion and poverty reduction agenda, including the realization of the national aspiration of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years. It is designed to provide a one-off grant to some of the poorest and most vulnerable women in rural Nigeria.
“A grant of N20,000 will be disbursed to over 150,000 poor rural women across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory. The grant is expected to increase access to financial capital required for economic activities.”
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