Empowerment: Adult education centre graduates 25 women

The Ummu Atiyyah Women Centre, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), that voluntarily focus on the education of adult Muslim women in Dawaki Suleja, a community in Niger state graduated its 4th set of pupils last week. ENE OSANG was there and reports.

It was a beehive of activities during the fourth graduation ceremony of the all women adult education school located in Dawaki, Suleja in Niger state.
The center which is a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) voluntarily conducts its activities free of charge while also giving moral and financial support to the students.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony recently the Niger state First Lady Hajiya Amina Abubakar Sani Bello, said women and girls education/empowerment is one of the top priorities of the Niger state governed.
Represented by the Special Adviser to the Niger state government on women mobilization Hajiya Karima Indasu, Bello emphasised that the state government is committed to any good initiative that will improve the lives of women in the state particularly those at the grassroots.

She added that apart from getting education, women have been encouraged into skills acquisition, adding that a total of 10,000 youths and 12,000 women have been empowered so far and given starter parks to set up their own businesses.
‘’Women empowerment is one major priority of this administration and just like this adult education, many other about in the state particularly in the state capital.

‘’About 10,000 youths and 12,000 women have so far been trained on different skills with starter parks at the end of the programme. I tell you most of them have their own businesses tofay and they are doing well,’’ she said.
She called on other women to emulate the graduates by enrolling into school or acquire any skill that can improve their lives.
In his remarks, Member of the House of Representative representing Suleja, Tafa and Gurara constituencies Hon. Abubakar Lado, harped the importance of education for all particularly the women, describing them as the pillar of every society.

He said education is a priority in his constituency projects, just as he assures of building a more conducive learning environment for the women to encourage others to also take the bold step of doing something meaningful.
The Director College of Education (CEO) Suleja Center, Mallam Sulaiman Adamu Ladan, said education is importance to any society, adding that no society develops above the level of their education.
He further harped the need for women education saying its importance cannot be over emphasised.

According to him, education is not just meant for one to get white collar jobs, rather it polishes the way of life of individuals and develop their minds.
‘’It is encouraging seeing these women go back to school to redeem what they have list at their young ages, this shows that education has no limits.
‘’I urge more women to proceed to school irrespective of their ages. It is education at their doorsteps and this must be encouraged by their husbands and all,’’ he said.

The Education Secretary Suleja Local Government Area, Mallam Ibrahim Usman, commended the facilitators of the free education programme for grassroot women, noting that girl child education is fast growing in the state, even as he encouraged more girls to be enrolled.
Earlier in her welcome address, one of the facilitators of the programme Mallama Sa’adatu Ibrahim said they have caterd to the education need of over 150 students in various classes such as Pre-Basic (nursery class), Basic one, two, and Post one and two which is equivalent to primary six.

According to her, the centre aims at serving humanity by giving less privileged women who have been denied attainment of western education at their young ages another opportunity.
She however lamented the lack of adequate support form the state and the local government, saying the centre is always confronted with challenges of a permanent site, transportation, instructional/learning materials and entrepreneurship equipments.

She therefore appealed to the government and well meaning Nigerians to consider the burning desire of grassroots women in acquiring western education and come to their aid.
‘’The aims and objectives of the centre is to serve humanity and to give the less privileged women who have been denied the opportunity of western education either by choice or by force during their early stage of adolescence the opportunity to western education and entrepreneurship activities,’’ she said.
It would be recalled that the centre graduated 16 women in the first batch in 2014, 18 women in 2015, 42 women in 2016 and 23 women in 2017.

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