By Kayode Fasua
The First Lady, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, has lauded Women Awards Championship International and Nigeria Aquatic Federation for “their dodged commitment to empowering the women, especially the girl-child”.
She also said that every effort geared at making life better for the women should be encouraged “because of its reverberating effects on the socio-economic development of any nation”.
Mrs. Buhari gave this applause in Abuja over the weekend, while unveiling the giant trophy for the maiden International Women Swimming Championship, organised by Women Awards Championship International and Nigeria Aquatic Federation, in collaboration with African First Ladies Peace Mission.
The international sporting programme being held to honour the First Lady, Aisha Buhari and the 36 States governors’ wives, seeks to empower rural women and girl-child across the 774 local governments in the country.
Mrs Buhari, who was represented by her Senior Special Adviser on African First Ladies Peace Mission, Hajiya Mairo Al-Makura, commended the groups behind the championship.
She said, “Your vision to empower the women is in tandem with the lofty aims of my pet project, Future Assured Project, dedicated to efforts at making life more comfortable for the women and their children”.
Mrs Buhari reiterated her desire to transform the women and the girl-child, most especially the less-privileged, to ensure that they were adequately empowered and protected for efficiency, and add value to the next generation.
The First Lady maintained that she remained committed to breaking the existing social barrier against rural women, thereby giving a girl child the sense of belonging in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), being one of her core missions to all women across all the strata.
She equally commended her husband, President Muammadu Buhari, for his support towards ending all forms of domestic violence against women and the girl-child in the country, even as she called for further support on programmes and policies that would assist Nigerian women and the girl-child to attain their full potentials
Mrs Anita Okuribido, President, Women in Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria, who also doubles as the Chief Coordinator of the championship, said that the swimming event scheduled for 2021 was being organised to honour the achievements of Mrs Buhari in championing the cause of vulnerable women in the country, “through her various socio-economic development and empowerment programmes”.
Other dignitaries at the occasion were Mr Babatunde Williams, President, Aquatic Federation of Nigeria, International Women Projects Ambassador, Mrs Lucy Adewuyi, Hon Dusa Emmanuel, former Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Niger State.
