By Ezekiel Dontinna
A renowned Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO), No Woman, No Nation, has empowered over ten thousand (10,000) registered women with organic fertilizer to help improve agricultural produces yield across Plateau State.
The NGO is for Women Empowerment Initiatives Forum with a Motto: Build the Nation, Build the Woman”, and the founder of NO WOMAN, NO NATION is Ambassador Prince Akintola Oluwasanyo Julius.
The Plateau State Chairperson of No Woman, No Nation, Ambassador Dr. Nendi Ruth Fidelis, nee Obadiah, disclosed this while in an interview shortly after concluding her tour in Jos, the State capital Monday.
She disclosed that the “No Woman, No Nation” is a NGO and it was non-political, non-religious and non-ethnic organisation that cut across the 36 States of Nigeria with each State having its Chairperson.
The State Coordinator noted that, they have the National Representatives, the State Representatives, the Local Government Representatives and also Wards Representatives at the grassroots with Plateau State having 17 Coordinators across the LGAs.
She explained that, “in each Local Government, we have about 28 EXCO, including the Coordinator because No Woman, No Nation, intended to reach the grassroots, using that structure in each Local Government through the 28 EXCO.
“It aims at empowering women through economic, independent leadership, development, skill enhancement, connecting government and professional institution with humanitarian developers for a better society across Nigeria.
“In No Woman, No Nation, we educate women, girl child on health rights and opportunities, gender balance, peaceful and conducive business environment for the women to strive. That is why, you see, we mobilize women across the 17 local government”, she explained.
According to the Ambassador, the No Woman, No Nation Plateau State chapter started in February 2024 and from there to the time of our inauguration on October 24, 2024, the Organisation has over 10,000 registered women on the Plateau.
She, however, disclosed that they have their strategic plan to be embarked upon by January 2025, God’s willing, and would be on how to empower women in order to boost their agricultural activities.
The Plateau State Chairperson, therefore, explained that it was for this reason that a fundraising was organised to enable them buy organic fertilizer and distributed to these women.
“We were supposed to distribute it during the inauguration, but because of the crowds that trooped to be part of this occasion overflowed to 51,000 women. So we were unable to distribute the organic fertilizer to them.
“And that was why we embarked on a thank you tour to each Local Government across the 17 local government, in order to appreciate them and also distribute the organic fertilizer to them.
“Because it was arranged, we distributed them in such a way that each Local Government Coordinator will collect for her members”, nee Obadiah explained.
She outlined some of the local government with high number of registered members to include: Mangu, which have over 1,400 women; Pankshin has 1,200 women; Bassa 1000; Wase, 700 women and with many more coming.
While embarking on the tour starting from October 10 to December 10, 2024to distribute these organic fertilizer in each local government, the Chairperson presented one litre of the organic fertilizer each with uniforms to all registered member.
Some Local Governments were given up to 3,000 to 2,000 containers of the one liter, while some got 120 to 200 depending on the number of registered members and it went round like that across the 17 LGAs.
Narrating their experiences on reaching Bassa Local Government, Dr Nendi Ruth Fidelis, nee Obadiah, said, “Wow! When we first went to Bassa, the women all came out including the non-registered member and on that day, some were even struggling to register.
“And from there, we proceeded to Jos-East. While in Jos-East, the women there too came out, but they were not much compared to Bassa. They were up to 300 women, but their reception was very wonderful.
“In fact, in some of the local government areas, even their chiefs came out. In local government like Jos-North, the wife of the Chairman came out to receive us and she gave us a warm reception.
“While in Jos-South LGA, the Chairman’s wife and the Deputy Chairman who are woman came out to receive us. So, you see, all that we are into, we are not trying to stop anybody, but we are just like a pressure group trying to bring women together so that, tomorrow we can be proud to say that, a lady can stand for us. Yes, we do not want to go hand in cup begging, but, at least, we can bring out a female Governor, God’s willing”, she prayed.
The Ambassador, therefore, called on women to come out and join this No Woman, No nation, because it is a non-political and non-religious organisation, and was ready to empower a woman with what they have mobilised within them.
She revealed that the organic fertilizer was not given to them by any politician, but was the result of what they mobilised within themselves through a fundraising together to support their agricultural activities of rural women.
Nee Obadiah, noted that although, there were some women who were not farmers, No Woman , No Nation wanted to add value to what they were doing, particularly business women and some farmers.
“We just started with organic fertilizer and we said, even if you are not a woman farmer, you can give it to your fellow woman.That is empowerment because to us in No Woman, No nation, empowerment does not rely on sharing money.
“That is why, when some people were saying during inauguration, “we are coming to share money”, I said No! We don’t share money, but we empower them through trainings which is part of our strategic plan by January.
“We will now start going to local government by local government to train our women on packaging, especially how they can package our local government-made product.
“You know, each local government is blessed with a particular agricultural produce. So we want to train them on how they can package their product for export.
“Like now in Pankshin, Kanke Local Government Areas, they have olive oil. We’ve already started mopping the olive oil and selling it to other women in Gombe, Kano, Abuja, Lagos etc. So you see we have add value to their business.
“If they are used to selling 10 jerry cans in a month, we, in No Woman, No Nation are mopping it from them to help create the market for them so that, within them they can go round mopping what they have, because a woman alone cannot produce 10 jerry cans, but she can mop from her fellow women.
“If this one have one bottle, another one will have one or four liters and so, they mop it together and then we create the market for them, thereby adding value to their business and creating a market for them because anything you produce and you don’t have market for it, it is not even worth it. It’s not even advisable”, she highlighted.
The Plateau State No Woman, No Nation’s Chairperson said, they were looking for partners and supporters and as state Executives, they would continue to mobilize themselves to make fundraising within themselves to support the women in the rural area.
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