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Interview with Nogi RURAL WOMEN NEED EMPOWERMENT
Available statistics
have shown that rural women contribute massively to national development
within their ability. Mrs Nogi Imoukhuede, a lawyer by profession
and women rights crusader, is the Chairperson, Roots And Fruits
Women Farmers Society of Nigeria (RUFARM). In this encounter with
our senior Reporter, Victor Asije of Rural Development Searchlight
Desk, she speaks on the place of women in national development and
the need for women empowerment. Recently,
Nigeria Women joined women the world over in observance of International
Women's Day. What do you have to say on the productive capacity
of rural women over the years? Well I will
say that women in Nigeria have been at the bottom rung of activities
inspite of their efforts. Things are not rosy with them at all.
They constitute the bottom poor of Nigerians. If it is taken that
70 per cent of Nigerians are poor, I must say that 30-40 percent
of this number are women. Their situation has been worsened by the
fact that they are also wives of poor men. Women's productive capacity
to national development has been handicapped by certain factors.
First, rural women, are faced with very high illiteracy rate. These
women are either dropped out of school or are denied education due
to preference for male education by most families. Another obstacle
is lack of access to credit facilities. With all these obstacles
their productive capacity has been seriously weakened. This has
resulted in the involvement of women in menial and unprofitable
jobs in private and government offices. Only few women are today
in positions of authority. With the present state of Nigerian women,
there is no cause for all out celebration on International Women's
Day . Women need to be empowered to contribute their quota to national
development. Infact, I will
say categorically that the plight of women in rural Nigeria is worse
off compared to those in pre-urban and urban areas. Women in rural
areas have over the years suffered all sorts of discriminations.
Their human rights are unduly violated. They are till date bearers
of burdens; hewers of wood and water fetchers. Rural women are always
on the farm, toil day and night to provide food for family members
and engage in petty trades to eke out a living. In spite of their
doggedness, hard work and commitment to providing for family members,
they are yet to e adequately empowered. They have been denied acres
to the land and credit facilities. In short, they have been relegated
to the background. To worsen their plight, there is absence of potable
water, electricity, good roads and health facilities. Absence of
these infrastructure in the rural communities has not helped the
productive capacity of these women over the years. There is the
need for government to provide for rural development. More attention
need to be given to rural women's empowerment to enable them to
harness their unquantifiable potentials. Rural women
today represents 70 percent of those living in poverty. How precisely
do you think this level of poverty can be alleviated? Let me say that
the approach to human development must be multisectoral-health,
education, energy, agriculture,water etc . Over the years, there
has been a high rate of maternal death in the villages due to lack
of proper healthcare. Health issues of rural women must be first
addressed. Another very
important issue that should be looked into towards poverty alleviation
amongst rural women is that of education. Lack of education in rural
women, obnoxious traditional belief sytems, must be addressed headlong.
More importantly, there is the need to provide and allow rural women
access to credit facilities. The alleviation of rural women's predicament
has to be a multi-sectoral approach. Government should come up with
result-oriented policies that focus on rural women empowerment.
There is the urgent need for gender mainstreaming. By this, when
the government is formulating policies or preparing budgets, women-centred
issues should also be given attention. Women's rights and infant
mortality should be looked into. I am saying all these because our
society is a male dominated one. Men today control available land,
political power, religious power, the business environment and every
other sector of the economy. Most women being heard of today in
are either well connected or privileged to have rich husbands. But
what of those who are not privileged to have rich or powerful husbands
or come from prominent families? The bottom line is that when government
is planning its policies gender issues must also be addressed because
we make up one half of our 120 million people.This has become important
more especially now that women have become breadwinners in most
homes. When we have people -oriented development policies that is
focused on the generality of the people then, rural women's lives
will be greatly enhanced and their potentials harnessed. In times
past successive governments have always had laudable policies but
the big question is how have these policies been implemented. These
policies have only resulted in abject poverty in a nation blessed
with abundant and natural resources. How has your
NGO, Roots And Fruits Women Farmers Society of Nigeria, (RUFARM)
assisted rural women in fighting poverty over these years? We work with
rural women farmers. Right now, we have cassava women farmers we
are working with. RUFARM ensures that result-oriented information
are disseminated to rural women farmers. Such information as better
yielding products and improved plant varieties. Their farming problems
are looked into and where possible given solutions and assistance.
We have a micro credit scheme for these rural women farmers. They
have benefited immensely from the various assistance in a number
of ways. Over two million naira has been disbursed to these women
to enhance their farming operations. The whole ideal of the micro-credit
is to give these rural women access to credit facilities. We believe
strongly that the poor are not necessarily lazy. They are poor because
they lack the opportunities. It is also our belief that even if
women lack collateral, with such opportunities, they will pay back
such loans. Let me say that the women we have been working with
and assisting have been encouraging. Rural women are honest, hardworking
and trustworthy. We intend to expand our operational base. Right
now, we have women groups in Ugo, three in Benin City and we will
expand to other villages in and around Edo State. I must give credit
to the Canadian High Commission, for the grant offered to assist
these women. Women today,
contribute to the bulk of the nation's food production. What do
you have to say on the sure way to harnessing the agricultural potent
ials? The sure way
to harness the agricultural potentials of rural women is to ensure
access of their products to market. These women are actually producing,
but what happens, due to such problems like poor storage facilities
in rural areas; unmotorable roads linking the hinterlands to the
markets and lack of processing equipment. Agricultural products
have been left to rot away in large quantities in farmlands. A lot
of post harvest losses have been recorded by these women due to
the aforementioned problems. To harness the abundant agricultural
potentials in rural women, there is the need to make provisions
for these infrastructural facilities. There is a gap between the
farmers and the end users due to these problems presently plaguing
the farmers. There is now the need for us to move from mere crop
production to agro-allied ventures. With such ventures, agro-allied
industries will spring up in rural areas and this will help stem
unemployment and rural urban drift. Come March
27, 2004, local government elections will hold. What do you have
for women out there? Women should
vote for candidates of their choice and should not sell their votes
and conscience. Women should learn to be dignified in casting their
votes for candidates of their choice. The idea of giving out their
votes for salt, pepper, rice onions and others should be de-emphasized.
Women should support and project themselves. We make up fifty percent
of the nation's population. If there is a woman running for any
elective position, we should come all out and support her. We have
the numerical strength. We need more women in government and in
the corridors of power. Women should go all out there and vote wisely
for candidate of their choice. |
Published
in the Observer of Wednesday, March 17, 2004