By Victoria Ojeme

The Federal Government has commenced the implementation of bottom to top approach for all target interventions to ensure empowerment and poverty alleviation projects  on grass root women.

Minister of Women Affairs, Barrister Uju Kennedy-Ohaneye made this known at a One-day Strategic Meeting with all States Commissioners of Women Affairs, yesterday in Abuja.

She said that the government is poised to find more efficient ways of reaching out and bettering the lives of rural dwellers especially poor Nigerian women and children since the previous ways of doing things have not yielded the desired impacts and results.

Kennedy-Ohaneye points out that what works for other countries may not work for Nigeria therefore, “This is the time to refocus ourselves because we are making a small mistake of not understanding who we are and what we need. Let us not live according to how others are living not knowing where we are headed.

“The method we are using thinking we are solving our problems is compounding our problems. Have we asked ourselves why previous methods are not working?

While explaining that new forms of interventions are being evolved to better the lives of the women and children, she adds, “We stand here and narration, we are narrating what someone else wrote for us. We need to change the narrative by looking down to find out what the issues are, finding the main issues because if you kill a tree, the branches cannot stand”

she said all empowerment interventions meant for poor Nigerian women and children, including those coming from donor organisations, the United Nations, (UN), the World Bank and other bodies, must be directed at the poor who are found at the grassroots to ensure it teaches them because the top bottom approach has failed to produce desired result hence, ye need for a bottom-up approach.

UN Women and ECOWAS Country Representative to Nigeria, Beatrice Eyong, said the UN will partner with the ministry and its vision of reinventing intervention to the grassroots through its technical support in partnership with the government of Canada.

She said “The achievement of gender equality and protection of women’s rights is critical if Nigeria is to attain the SDGs targets.

“Gender equality means that women and men have equal opportunities, rights and responsibilities in all spheres of life. It means that women and men can equally contribute to and benefit from the development of our nation.

“Along this line, the Ministry of Women Affairs is a vital institution in the society, working tirelessly to ensure that gender equality becomes a reality.”

Speaking on behalf of the states’ Commissioners of Women Affairs, Dean of Commissioners, Dr. Ini Adiakpan, noted that the states are ready to partner with the federal government for the attainment of key targets and policies.

She said “We want the federal ministry of women affairs to continue to interface with us so that we can synchronize our own practice with what the ministry does.

“Truly we are very happy that you came to see us and you immediately went into action to implement this and we see that this is a step in the right direction and we know that with this, our capacity will be felt.