By Yahaya Idris, Nasarawa.
In this report, our Senior Correspondent, Yahaya Idris looks at how the Maikaya Development Foundation is helping rural women in Toto Local Government Area, Nasarawa State who are into Small enterprises with sole aims to take their rightful natural roles in the society to become financially self-sufficient.
Recently, the Maikaya Development Foundation (MDF) in Conjunction with Maikaya Farms Ltd which is one of the most accessible, fast growing non-governmental organisation (NGO) in West Africa region has doled out cash to empower rural women and accessibility of micro finance facilities for rural Small and Medium Enterprises, development and growth in the State.
A development, which aims to create wealth, transform, empower and improve on development of rural women in the area, had vulnerable women selected from various households in the two local government areas to upturn their economy capacity.
The Chief Executive Officer of Maikaya Development Foundation and Maikaya Farms Limited, Alhaji Chief Muhammed Musa Maikaya (Ciroman Toto) has organised programs to reposition women to take advantage of the numerous generous financial policies of his NGO in its bid to uplift women out of poverty where he mobilise resources to give the women, youths and elders a state of belonging.
The National Youths Council of Nigeria, Women Groups, various association leaders who were part of the programs also mobilised women from the grassroots such that majority of women who are on small businesses in order to boost their financial strength for Sustainable development and growth.
In his welcome address before the formal kickoff of the programs, the CEO Maikaya Development Foundation and Maikaya Farms limited, Alhaji Chief Muhammed Musa Maikaya, said the platform gave rural women the neededⁿ opportunity to improve their businesses.
He said his decision to organise/ create wealth came on the heels to reposition women to take advantage of the numerous programmes on financial inclusion and grants for SMEs as part of his NGO commitment to lift over million Nigerians out of poverty.
“As we are aware of Maikaya Development Foundation and Maikaya Farms’s commitment to lift million Nigerians out of poverty is non negotiable.
“That programs is a policy direction, which has already taken effect. The Maikaya Development Foundation has rolled out several financial packages to ameliorate the effect of biting economy and also empowering citizens who are in small business.
“Notable among these beneficiaries are the Akara, groundnuts cake, pap, Okpa, Local Ginger (Kunu) sellers among others which is designed to promote and boost the efforts of local enterprises.”
According to Maikaya, said despite different intervention programmes by successive governments, women often times do not benefit much from them adding that the programs organize by his NGO was meant to empower women to cash in more on such opportunities.
“The truth is, while there exist several intervention mechanisms of government, women are often at the lowest cadre of those who benefit from it, and we want that unhealthy trend to change. That is one of the reasons we organised this rural wealth creation. To inform women and get them well prepared to cash in on these opportunities.
“They should grant themselves intellectual liberation and cast away timidity while expressing informed and enlightened boldness and confidence in competing in the complex business environment dominated by men.
In his address on behalf of Maikaya Development Foundation, the Toto LG coordinator and Chairman National Youth of Nigeria (NYCN) Toto LGA, Mr. Musa Mansur Bashir says: the aims is to encourage all the participants to take advantage of this programme and do something better for themselves and their communities. We are very happy, very delighted and we believe that things like this will continue so that we will be able to empower our rural women.
“Maikaya has empowered a lot of women in Toto LG and we try our best because we know that women are the power of the home, so we ensure they are empowered to be self-sufficient to contribute their quotas to the home front.”
High point of the programs was a physical disbursement of cash by the Maikaya Development Foundation where over 100 women were given cash each to start up something by boosting their financial capacity.
Also during the disbursement some groups in Toto LG received bags of rice to ease their hardship as result of this COVID-19 pandemic.
In same vein, Mr. Danbuba the coordinator for Nasarawa LG also deliver Maikaya message to the people of the area.
Umaisha, Gadabuke are expected to receive their own part from tomorrow.
Maikaya has received an award of excellence on behalf of the NGO for best supporting for youths, women empowerment in supporting artisans to grow in the state and beyond.
