By Sadiq Abubakar
Maiduguri
United Nations Fund for Population (UNFPA) in collaboration with the Borno state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development has trained 75 women and girls from three LGAs of the state.
The 75 women and girls were drawn from Maiduguri Metropolitan Council MMC, Jere and Mafa local government areas for the training on various skills acquisition in order to make them skillful and self reliant in the society.
Speaking at the joint graduation ceremony, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Fanta Baba Shehu, said the training programme will go a long way in empowering the skillful trained women and girls to be self reliant and useful to themselves and the society.
She added that the UNFPA initiative to offer them grants to empower the women and girls after the training programme to start up their respective businesses was highly commendable.
The commissioner, who was represented by the Director, Women Affairs of the ministry, Hajiya Yabawa Kolo, said the graduation of the women and girls was a key to eliminate gender based violence in the society, adding that it would prevent the young women and adolescent girls from falling victims of socio-economic and political exploitation in the society.
She reiterated the ministry’s commitment to empower the women and offer more services that will protect the womenfolk from any form of societal abuse across the state.
Hajiya Shehu disclosed that the ministry “will also give the graduands a token of N10, 000 each as take off grant,” while advising the beneficiaries to sustain and maintain the programme.
She also commended the UNFPA for organising the training to empower the women and girls as means of eliminating gender based violence.
Also speaking, the UNFPA Humanitarian Programme Coordinator, Alhaji Muhammad Sharkoden Ismail, thanked the beneficiaries for their commitment and urged them to make good use of the skills they acquired.
Ismail also commended the Ministry of Women Affairs for its commitment and efforts in maintaining the Safe Space Concept (SSC), urging the ministry not to relent on its efforts in future to serve humanity.
