By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA- A non-governmental organisation, Buhari Support Group Centre, BSGC, has mobilised women across the country to support policies formulated the Buhari-led administration.

The National Coordinator, BSGC, Hajia Larai Kolo, said the move was to create awareness through the zonal and state offices of the organisation about the numerous policies formulated by government for women in the country, which they could key into for their benefit.

National Coordinator, Buhari Support Group Centre, Hajia Larai Kolo

Kolo who has been on the vanguard of women development and empowerment, also expressed optimism that the recession has started receding and soon will be over, and maintained that the policies of government for women were purely to impact positively on their standard of living and families.

She said: “We in Buhari Support Group Centre, BSGC, has been concerned about the plight of women, particularly the grassroots women who have not really benefited from past governments rather have been used and dumped for their selfish aims.

“We want to tell women that this government means well for them and have come up with policies that will add value to their lives and families. The government has been women friendly with their policies and appointments so far. Women should support the policies of government and also take advantage of them.

“Some of these policies include the Government Empowerment Enterprises Programme, GEEP, which was launched in 2016 it is to provide business funds for market women and those into agribusiness.

The scheme is part of the social investment carried out by government, which is contained in the N500 billion that it has earmarked job creation and school feeding programme for children at the primary school level. The government has budgeted N140 million for GEEP out of the N500 billion.

“Also the government has a wonderful programme for women in the agriculture sector, which is the Labour Intensive and Life Enterprise, LIFE,  targeted to create wealth for the entrepreneurial rural women and youths.

Negative information

The government through the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, created opportunity for women and youths to boost their production of rice with the Anchor Borrowers Scheme.

“The Wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, is also doing much to assist the rural women through her ‘Future Assured’ programme. This programme has really impacted on the lives of women.

“We want to urge women to disabuse their minds from the negative information about the Buhari-led government from people who does not impact in their lives for the donkey years they were in government, rather impoverished them and siphoned resources meant for them.”

She also called on women and women groups to come together with one voice that will make them formidable in achieving more of their dreams instead of being distracted by some elements in the country.

Also speaking was the National Publicity Secretary, BSGC, Grace Okoye, who appreciated the government for appointing women into the executive arm of government, but appealed to the President for more appointment of women, and also pledged women’s support for the government.