Borno first lady empowers 300 women

The first lady of Borno State and vice chairman, Northern Governors’ Wives’ Forum, Dr Falmata Babagana Umara Zulum, at the Government House in Maiduguri on Monday, celebrated this year’s International Women’s Day by empowering 300 women drawn from different parts of the state.

Three hundred skilled women were presented with 100 sewing machines, 100 hair driers and 100 cooking utensils.

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The first lady said poverty, gender-based violence and early marriage could be addressed through girl-child education.

She appreciated the wife of the senator representing Borno Central Senatorial District, Hajiya Nana Shettima, for supporting girl-child education and other programmes benefiting women.

On this year’s theme of Women’s Day “Women in Leadership: Achieving an Equal Future in a COVID-19 Pandemic”, she paid tributes to women who made sacrifices as frontline health workers in addition to their gender roles in the home fronts and societies.

The state’s Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hajiya Zuwaira Gambo,

said Borno was lucky to have Professor Babagana Umara as governor in view of his all-encompassing leadership styles that prioritized issues of women and girl-child.

The commissioner said this happened with the support of the governor’s wife.

Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator, United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Vincent Leilei, noted that women and girls remained vulnerable despite their important roles in society.

Chairman, Borno State Education Trust Fund, Prof. Hauwa Abdu Biu; the Commissioner for Fisheries and Animal Development, Mrs Juliana Bitrus; the state APC women leader, Hajiya Fati Kakinna; Prof. Patricia Donly and others separately spoke on challenges women faced in politics, governance and education.