Federal Ministry of Women Affairs (FMoWA), and Lima Machinery Company, a Chinese firm, have partnered to train women farmers on mechanised farming to boost animal and crop production.
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Minister of women affairs, Barrister Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, said the partnership is aimed at improving lives of grassroots women, increase revenue generation, bring about food security and overall national development.

She made this known while receiving some staff of the company, weekend in Abuja.

She noted that the initiative will keep women busy making money to improve their living standards as the work together in their communities and also distract them from any unprofitable ventures

She said “This will not only keep them busy, but also make money because communities will come together to do this work as brothers and sisters.

“They, (Chinese firm), will give us modernised and mechanised farming tools to make it easy for Nigerians to do these work, which will help them to make more proceeds without overworking themselves so that we will multiply what we used to get before, sell cheaper and Nigerians will get more food.

Barrister Kennedy-Ohanenye noted that “This will make a better future impact than what we have been doing with advocacies, meetings, lavishing the whole money, while the major people the money is meant for are suffering,’’ she said.
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According to her, the collaboration will be on rice milling project and provision of mechanized farming tools for sustainable empowerment of women in Nigeria.

The minister added that a portal will be set-up to link to buyers, distributors, sellers, advertisers, marketers both at the local and international markets, alongside the establishment of business hubs to sell off excess produce that will yield huge profits for the farmers.

“There will be hubs, like a warehouse in each local government, where if you can not sell all, you notify the hub operators, so that the villages will have access to these hubs to show what they have and are placed on the portal alerting the buyers, who will make their demands.

“We are also planning for them to have a butchering locations, (abattoirs), in each of those hubs, so that they can go there butcher, package with machines and freeze to be distributed across the nation, which will bring down the cost of food and enable the farmers get more money,” she said.

She added that Fish Grilling Machines locally fabricated to grill 500 fishes every two hours powered with gas, biogas and charcoal will be distributed as part of its sustainable empowerment programs for women in Nigeria.

Sales Manager of Lima Machinery Company China, Gatsby Kang, said the collaboration will further strengthen the existing bilateral relationship between China and Nigeria.

“We want to use our equipment to help the local people using machines, because technology can bring huge yield in production and make meaningful difference in their lives,’’ he said.
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He added that the feeds that will be produced were healthy and contains locally sourced food in right proportions to boost the growth and development of the animals that will be feeding on them.

Meanwhile, the ministry also updated the press on government’s resolve and legal action taken in the Enugu defilement case against a mother for negligence and the stepfather for defiling for one and half years, his 8 year old step daughter and infecting her with diseases.

According to her, court procedures has commenced against Mrs. Christabel Ewuru and her husband Mr Ifeanyi Ewuru to ensure they were prosecuted and the survivor gets justice.

She said that the owner of Peace Mass Transit, Dr. Sam Onyishi, has promised to take up tuition for the girl’s education from primary to university level.

Similarly, the minister disclosed the first court sitting Nov. 21 against some staff on duty and management at the Maitama General Hospital over alleged negligence and refusal to treat Miss Greatness Olorunfemi, victim of “one chance’’ before her death at the hospital.

According to her, taking legal action against those found guilty will serve as deterrent to others and ensure people are held accountable for their actions and inactions.

Quoting 46 subsection 1 and section 34 subsection 1 of the 1999 constitution of Nigeria regarding the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure, (FREP), which allows one to challenge human right violations in Nigeria, the minster said this gives her ministry the right and local standing in taking the matters to court.
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