RAMADAN:OVER 300 WIDOWS BENEFIT FROM LAGOS GOVT EMPOWERMENT SCHEME

 

No fewer than 300 widows benefited from the Ramadan empowerment programme organized for widows today, 19th of April 2022 at LAWMA office, Sura. The Ramadan programme is a Widows Care Foundation organised by The Lagos State Government (LASG) to lift widows in Lagos state out of poverty. 

The programme which is headed by Mrs Funmilayo Ayodele a.k.a Bombay had an array of dignitaries in attendance, including representatives from Lotus Bank who also came to give the widows their maximum support to prove to Lagosians that achieving a better Lagos is a collective responsibility and not all up to the government.

Bombay in her remarks posited that the programme was initiated by Sanwo-Olu to alleviate the sufferings of the poor widows as many of them have no means of survival. 

"We realized that these widows exercise their civic responsibilities during elections and many of them are elderly people who are not working so we deemed it necessary to take care of them." 

"Over 300 widows are here today to receive N10,000 each and a bag of foodstuffs that contains rice, beans, semovita, garri etc for the Ramadan." She said.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA). Mr. Ibrahim Adejuwon Odumboni who was present at the occasion told newsmen that, "The major purpose of the event is to support majority of our work force that are women and widows in our local community across Lagos, to give them empowerment and also make them understand how they can support each other. 

"So what we are seeing today is a very huge and well encompassing Ramadan empowerment programme for the widows. We also want to let them know that lotus bank is here to support them. We have trained them on vocational programmes that can help them in their day to day activities. They are not only leaving here with money and foodstuffs but also with new knowledge on how to manage their financial and vocational activities that can actually make them earn more income.

"My  message about the governor of Lagos state, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu is that he is doing a great job to ensure that the poor are well looked after. Today we have about 450 widows here and 80% of our workforce are women, many of them are beneficiaries of this empowerment. However, we are spreading it across so this is not about the Muslim alone but we have both Christians and Muslims here today, we have the Igbos Yourubas, Northerners and other tribes here today. So the governor has done so much for Lagosians. I'm advising everyone out there to go and get their PVC and ensure they vote wisely."

Mr. Adebayo Sanwo-Olu, a brother of the Lagos state governor who was there to represent Mr. Babajide sanwo-Olu, when asked by journalists to address the general public who may think the Ramadan widows empowerment progamme is a campaign strategy said; "This empowerment did not just start today, it has been on for many years but we didn't publicize it, so no one should contemplate that it's a campaign strategy.

"We have trained so many widows on different vocational programmes, and after the trainings they receive take-off tools and seed money to sustain their businesses.

"The prime attention of this empowerment Programme is to lift widows out of poverty and to enlighten them on gender-based violence.

"Beneficiaries are monitored and evaluated to ensure that the goals of the programme is not defeated. The essence of the monitoring is to ensure that the beneficiaries do not divert the funds to other uses. This is because we want to sustain the programme and alleviate poverty amongst the widows in our community.”

Some of the beneficiaries who spoke with newsmen expressed gratitude to Sanwo-Olu for the Ramadan empowerment programme. According to them it will go a long way to help them take care of their children and lessen other economic hardships they face as widows.