Aisha Buhari calls for elimination of barriers hindering women development

The wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari, has called for the elimination of all barriers limiting the progress of women farmers in the country.

Aisha, who made the call at the 2015 Oxfam Female Food Hero award ceremony in Abuja, said the present administration had placed high interest in women welfare with focus on agriculture.

NAN reports that the Female Food Hero award is aimed at recognising women farmers that have excelled in spite of numerous challenges and to draw Government attention to the plight.

Represented by Mrs Alayingi Sylva, wife of the former governor of Bayelsa, noted that Nigerian women were in forefront of the agricultural sector consisting 60 per cent of farmers.

She said women are lending their strength to the growing level of national productivity as well as encouraging self reliance.

“Let me at this juncture appeal for the elimination of seeming barriers to women development in all sectors to enable them the opportunity to emerge stronger in the business sector.

“Those enjoying this Oxfam intervention to make adequate use of the opportunity provided to bridge any gap hindering the progress of women,’’ she said.

The wife of the president said recent study showed that Nigerian women entrepreneurs operate in unfavourable business environment characterised by various challenges.

Among those challenges, she listed, were access to land, fund and farm inputs.

Aisha expressed happiness at Oxfam’s intervention in women famers’ affairs, saying that their efforts will not go down in vain.

Also speaking, the wife of the Governor of Benue, Mrs Eunice Ortom, said there had been multi-dimensional interventions to ensure farmers in Benue obtain the best to boost their from farming activities.

She said 21 hectares of developed land site had been made available to farmers for cropping activities as well as three agricultural related education institutions.

Otom said that farmers in the state have been urged to ensure that the state remained the ‘Food Basket of the Nation.’

NAN reports that Mrs Dorcas Azenda emerged as 2015 Oxfam Female Food Hero and was presented with a check of N250, 000, while Nguavere Jande and Lembe Gafa were first and second runner-ups respectively.