Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, the Minister of Women Affairs, has announced her intention to pursue legal action against states that fail to utilize federal government-distributed empowerment equipment. She warned that the equipment, intended for women’s economic development, will be reclaimed if not put to use.
The minister made this announcement on Tuesday in Abuja during the opening ceremony of a two-day capacity-building workshop for commissioners for women affairs from all 36 states.
The workshop, organized by the Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women Development, MBNCWD, in partnership with UN Women and the Canadian High Commission in Nigeria, is designed to enhance leadership and management skills for effective team leadership and strategic decision-making.
Kennedy-Ohanenye emphasized that the equipment, which includes industrial sewing machines, rice milling machines, garri processing machines, fish grilling equipment, and various other tools, was distributed to foster entrepreneurship and socio-economic development among women.
In an April media conference, the minister had detailed the equipment provided, which includes industrial button hole machines, heavy industrial irons, tapping machines, steam pressing machines, sewing machines for various stitches, cloth cutting machines, fish smoking machines, and fish rearing buckets.
“It is unfortunate that, up till date, I have not received videos of these machines being used, which is the main reason they were given to Nigerians.
“You know in Nigeria, it is common, any idea that comes, people gather and kill it. That is why we have a lot of abandoned projects, abandoned machines, and abandoned vehicles.
“We don’t want to maintain them and we don’t want them to work.
“I want to officially announce today that the following states have received empowerment sewing machines: Anambra, Kano, Rivers, Imo, Lagos, Oyo, Katsina, Gombe, Kebbi, Adamawa, Ebonyi, Niger, Bayelsa, Benue, Jigawa, and the FCT.”
She warned that if the machines are not operational within a month, by September 13, she would take legal action against the states.
“I will retrieve the machines and take them to people who need them.
“It is unacceptable to leave equipment idle while people suffer. This has been holding women back, and we won’t set a bad example,” she said.
The minister noted that commissioners for women affairs in the listed states have yet to identify operational co-operative societies to receive the machines.
However, she commended Benue for promptly distributing the machines, citing video evidence of people using them within 48 hours of receipt.
Kennedy-Ohanenye emphasised that procuring equipment to empower women was a better use of the ministry’s funds than spending on ineffective programmes.
She urged them to immediately begin the use of the machines, assuring them that there were already markets for the items to be produced.
(allnews.ng)
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