Why govt should effectively empower women traders — NANTs Leader
By Abba – Eku Onyeka, Abuja
The Woman Leader, Abuja the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter, National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTs), Amb (Mrs) Rachael Adewumi has explained why the government at all levels should effectively be empowering the women traders regularly.
Adewumi made the claim while addressing journalists shortly during a visit to the Women Chapter, Zuba International Market Traders Association (ZIMTA), in the market.
Adewumi has been touring the markets in the FCT, to find out the problems being faced by the women traders, so as to proffer solutions to them within NANTs.
In a clear explanation, the Woman Leader said that more than 70% of the traders in Abuja were women. She stated that the women are known for their ability to take good care of the home and still make time to successfully do business of buying and selling. She among others, added that the women are very good managers of resources, saying if encouraged, they would go places to impact positively on the economy.
Hailing the government for the road network within the market, as well as speaking on the need to give the women proper empowerment, for the country to experience rapid economic recovery and growth, Dr (Mrs) Rachael Adewumi said: “The road to the market is okay, because I came through an overhead bridge within Zuba, where the market is situated and the market is very good and big too, and needs publicity.
“These women need money to add to their business. Government has been disbursing money and you can see that my women are complaining. It is unfortunate that, we, the real traders are not the ones being given the money. Those who submitted their names didn’t get the money. I appeal to the government to revisit the list and ask us, so that we shall show them the people they should give the money; that is the real traders, so that the money should get to everybody.
“There is economic hardship everywhere, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. I tell you that if the money is well disbursed, it will go a long way to cushion the effect of the pandemic. So they should disburse the money, in line with its aims and objectives of cushioning the effect of the Coronavirus on the people and the economy. I repeat, let the money get to the hands of the right people.”
Reiterating the need to empower the women effectively, due to what she sees as potentials in them, NANTs woman leader in the nation’s capital said that the women can go places, if given financial assistance by the government, even as she added that they effectively manage money from microfinance banks, she accused of exploiting them.
Adewumi therefore stated that she believes that the women can manage business far better that their men counterparts, who she accused of being fond of using such money given to them by government to marry more wives.
“Word of advice is one of the purposes of my visit to them today. I advised them to put their legs at the right step, so as to be able to be focused in their businesses, and have a savings culture. We should put limitations to our expenditure today and think of how our businesses will grow bigger and focus on our businesses. Ability to save, goes a long way. I also advised them to shun the habit of selling with abnormal profits in this inflation. Business is all about turnover. With too much of profit, your customers will run away and go to the place they can buy at a cheaper price. So don’t sell with much profit and remain focused,” she said.
Enjoining them to be committed and financial members of NANTs and to join the NANTs Cooperative Society, for easy assessment of loans from banks and government, she appealed to their Woman Leader to help her fish out the less privileged and the widows and graduates within the area for training and empowerment in her Non Governmental Organisation: Taken Empowerment Initiatives (TEIs).
The host of the event, the Woman Leader of the ZIMTA, Zuba, Mrs Helene Odiegwu while commending the FCT Woman Leader for effective performance, beckoned her to assist them attract the attention of the government to the market. She said that they were ignored during the sharing of palliatives in the FCT, as well as disbursement of funds to cushion the effect of the pandemic.
She however appealed to the government through the FCT Woman Leader to, as a matter of importance and urgency, provide them with among others, good road network, facilities needed in an international market of that standard. She noted that the market would be an avenue of revenue generation more than other markets, should the government give it, its deserved development.
Though she admitted that the men were their husbands, whom they rely on for assistance all the time, she was quick to add that there is gender inequality, which said that they were out to address amicably.
Hailing the Woman Leader for taking time to visit markets in FCT, the Chairman of the Market Association, John Peter Obiora advised her to keep the pace at which she has been going, as well as build up women who will be able to take over from her at the end of her tenure. When asked, Obiora said that the men were out to give the women their deserved encouragement at NANTs.
