One hundred rural women in coastal communities across the Niger Delta on Tuesday, became the latest recipients of starter packs distributed by the Presidential Amnesty Programme to enable them be self-reliant.
The beneficiaries who were given the items at a flag-off ceremony in Warri, Delta State, are the first batch among 400 rural women to be empowered in the fishing sector.
A vendor, Innotek Royal Service Limited supplied the fishing and safety materials distributed to the women which included, Yamaha 8 outboard engines, fishing nets, fishing hooks, life jacket, life rings, and fire buckets.
Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Prof. Charles Dokubo while commissioning the starter packs for distribution, expressed President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to uplifting the lives of rural women in the Niger Delta region.
Dokubo who was represented at the occasion by his Special Assistant on Media, Murphy Ganagana, said training and empowerment of beneficiaries of the Amnesty Programme will receive a boost to fast-track the achievement of the objectives for which the Programme was initiated.
“We are doing a lot to ensure the sustenance of peace and development of the Niger Delta. The flag-off of the empowerment of rural women in fishing that we are witnessing today is tailored towards actualizing our objectives. Training and empowerment of beneficiaries of the Amnesty Programme will be pursued vigorously in the days ahead so that Mr. President will realize his dream for the Niger Delta”.
He warned the beneficiaries against selling the items, but to put them into judicious use for the benefit of their families and communities.
Earlier, chairman of Innotek Royal Service Limited described the empowerment programme as an epoch making event and the first of its kind since the inception of the Amnesty Programme.
He noted that the items provided the beneficiaries will improve on the livelihood of the women folk in Niger Delta, make them professionals in their trade and achieve food security, among other gains.
“You will agree with me that when you empower women, you are empowering a nation. Today, history is being made as a new chapter of the Presidential Amnesty Programme is written which to me can be chronicled and archived as actualizing the economic el-dorado of the Niger Delta women.
It is worthy of note that deforestation and distortion of our ecosystem is gradually becoming a thing of the past as we have moved over to the next level of production of fibre boats which is a major achievement of the Amnesty Programme under the amiable leadership of Prof. Charles Dokubo”.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Baby Lelekumo who hails from Egbema in Delta State, praised President Muhammadu Buhari for empowering Niger Delta women through the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
“I thank President Buhari for the gift he gave to us to empower women. I thank him so much and I thank Prof. Charles Dokubo who is committed to uplifting the Niger Delta. May the Almighty God bless them, because whosoever blesses a woman blesses nation. For what he has done for us, his tenure will bear fruit for the whole of Nigeria.”
