Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, has charged the women lobby group of All Progressives Congress (APC) to seek innovative ways of remedying the “poverty” gap among women, lamenting that this has remained a militating factor to most women seeking elective offices.
In a signed statement made available to journalists in Abuja by the Director, Press and Public Relations in the ministry, Olujimi Oyetomi, Tallen gave the charge when the lobby group led by Stella Okotete paid the ministry a courtesy visit to seek input on the Progressives Women Academy (PWA), a digital academy set up to effect and accelerate training and capacity building for more women in trades and skills in leadership.
According to the statement, the minister noted the poor economic capacity of women, saying this is the major reason they are easily bought over during elections.
Tallen added that virtually all issues women are seeking to address such as Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV), poverty, quest for more political representation can be addressed, when they secure the buy-in of the men especially of the critical traditional and religious leaders.
“women are not as rich as the men; that is why some of them can be bought over during campaigns for election. We have to work together; as we work together, we have to work to put all our critics to shame,” the statement said.
Leader of the group, Stella Okotete said the target of the digital platform is to empower 2 million women in Nigeria.
“This will unleash 4 million jobs and reach 12 million dependants of women in 2 years. For any woman to be a part of the digital academy (PWA), all that is required is ownership of a GSM telephone and a telephone number. Women through the PWA will share knowledge and learn from experienced business owners,” she explained.
