Rotary club of Abuja trains over 50 indigent women

The Rotary Club of Abuja, Kubwa district has trained over 50 indigent women in Kungabukon community in Bwari Area Council, Abuja on different vocations to improve their livelihood.Numbering over 50, the beneficiaries who were mostly full-time house-wives were trained on how to produce Izal, detol, air freshner, hypo, liquid soap, small chops like samosa, spring roll, puff-puff as well as recharge card printing business and gele tying.

This was as the club equally commissioned the reconstructed abandoned four-room toilet in the LEA Primary School in the community, established the Rotary Community Corps and erected the peace pillar during the event which held at the weekend.Earlier in her welcome address, the President, Rotary Club of Abuja Kubwa District, Rotn Lovina Okorn-Ntui-PHF told the gathering that  Rotary Club of Abuja Kubwa took the initiative to reconstruct the four-room toilet to put an end to the unwholesome  practice of open defecation.“When we first visited this place, we saw that in this community there was no toilet. What is commonly practiced here is open defecation and open defecation as we all know is not healthy for us. As you defecate in the open, flies perch on it and bring back the bacteria into your home by perching on your food and getting them contaminated,” she said She said the reconstructed toilet will give the pupils, teachers and especially adolescent girls and female teachers, a better environment and adequate privacy to go to toilet, change their sanitary wears, conveniently go back to their classes and pay attention.

Okorn-Ntui-PHF noted that the vocational training programmes brought to the community will help to empower the indigent women to support their families financially.Speaking in a separate interview with journalists, the Rotary Club President said the community was adopted by the club five years ago, adding, the club had since then, offered a lot of interventions to the community most recent of which includes the revamping of the abandoned health centre, medical outreaches during which there  were free medical tests, distribution of free eye-glasses, hepatitis test and vaccination among others.The beneficiaries each smiled home happily after the training as they were handed certificates, start-up kits and capital to establish small businesses in the respective areas of their choices.Mrs Tuna Moses who was into petty farming to support her family, said the training and assistance received, will help her to diversify her income base.The village Chief, Ishaya Jagaba also appreciated the efforts made to ameliorate the suffering of his community.He said the toilet which had been abandoned for years because of its deplorable state would be maintained properly to serve the people for a long period of time.Yiaga Africa tasks INEC to conduct thorough audit of existing polling units Yiaga Africa has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to  conduct a thorough  audit of the existing polling units as a  vital step before converting Voting  Points (VP’s) and Voting Point  Settlement (VPS) to polling units  especially ensuring that relocation of  polling units considers disability and  other inclusivity needs. In a policy brief signed by the Director of Programs of Yiaga Africa, Cynthia Mbamalu said the commission should also update its voter register to address cases of transfer of registration and ensure integration of the voter’s database to the National Identity Management System (NIMS) hosted by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

She explained that the process of expanding voter access to polling units should be informed and driven by data to ensure that decisions adopted truly addresses the challenges identified;  this should also include ensuring a  disability and inclusivity approach. According to her, INEC should also consider a phased expansion of the polling units process to indicate that the process is continuous, to meet voters’ access needs truly; and the Commission should engage the electoral risk management tool as the process commences to ensure immediate response to the risk that may arise concerning this process at different levels.Recently, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) expanded voter access to polling units across Nigeria, critical issues need to be considered to inform a comprehensive and data-driven process that indeed guarantees access to polling units for all voters.  The expansion of voter access to polling units in Nigeria by INEC may resolve an age-long crisis of insufficient polling units and poor polling units’ management. Elections in Nigeria are currently conducted in 119,973 polling units across the 774 Local government areas in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

 These polling units were established in 1996 to serve approximately 50 million voters at the time. Notwithstanding the exponential population growth in the country, twenty-five years later, the same number of polling units now serve approximately 84,004,084 voters. The continued use of the same number of polling units regardless of emerging trends in population growth and population movement dynamics has resulted in limited voter access to polling units, crowded and congested voting facilities, and susceptibility of the voting process to manipulation. While INEC’s plan to commence expanding voter access to polling units, it is crucial that the process is fair, transparent, inclusive and acceptable by citizens and key actors. In the expansion of voter access to polling units, INEC is converting existing voting points, and voting points settlement into polling units.Although the Electoral Act confers administrative powers on INEC to establish polling units and allocate voters to polling units, previous attempts by INEC were unsuccessful. The legality of the process, human rights considerations, necessity and timeliness, are essential considerations informing Yiaga Africa review of the policy. In INEC’s Discussion Paper on the State of Voter Access to Polling Units in Nigeria, the Commission highlighted three approaches for expanding voter access to polling units. 

Initiative laments upsurge of rape cases, violence against women, girls The Executive Director of Michelles Youth Initiative for Sustainable Development (MYISD) who also doubles as the President of the Nigerian Female Youth Organization, Princess Michelle Peter has described the incessant upsurge in rape cases and violence especially against women and young girls across the country as frightening.Princess in a statement in Abuja also expressed concern on recent rape allegations of embattled Yoruba actor, Olanrewaju Omiyinka aka Baba Ijesha and a minor and called on the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) to commence investigation on the matter and if found guilty, he should be brought to book .According to her, nobody including celebrities are above the law and should be made to face the punishment if found guilty adding that it should serve as an example for everyone to learn from it .  She said while stigmatization of victims should be a punishable offense, victims and their families should be encouraged to report to appropriate agencies.She said it is the rapist , rather than the victim that must be shamed.Princess also called on Governors who are yet to implement the VAPP act and Child Right act to do stating that because enough is enough. “We also appreciate the governors that have signed the VAPP act and Child Right act but they should note that passing a law is not for decoration but implementation, which is very key. 

“Kaduna state has one of the best punishments against rape but we have not heard of any prosecution. So they should make sure that prosecution takes place. If not it will be like water poured on a stone,” she said . Also, on the Philosophy graduate of the University of Uyo, Iniobong Umoren that was raped and killed by a man who said he had a job for her in Akwa Ibom state, Princess called on government and security forces to address this ugly descent into the abyss as a matter of urgent national importance. 

Beneficiaries of the  vocational training, economic empowerment and development programme  organised for indigent women and girls in Kungabukon community in Bwari Area Council, Abuja on Saturday  by Rotary Club of Abuja Kubwa, during the training on samosa, spring roll  and other snacks. Photo: Adeola Tukuru. 

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