Bauchi Women Affairs Commissioner Hails Gov Bala Over Mandate fulfilment

Hon. Hajara Jibrin Gidado Comm. of Women Affairs, Child Development and Social Welfare Bauchi State

From Usman Shehu Bauchi

In continuation of the 2024 Ministry of Information and Communication organized Ministerial press briefing, the Honourable Commissioner Ministry of Women Affairs, Child Development and Social Welfare, Hajara Jibrin Gidado, stated that the Ministry was created under Decree in 1989 in respond to the United Nations agreement to establish Institutional Mechanism for the advancement of Women and Women matters.

The Commissioner made this known to journalists while Presenting her Ministry's achievements for the past five years under the Present administration lead by revolutionary and gogade leader, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, at the Abubakar Umar State Secretariat complex Bauchi held recently.

Hajara Jibrin, said the year under review has been successful for the Ministry, as  financial and moral support recieved from our National awaard Winner, Governor Bala Mohammed, made it possible for us to achieve our Mission of Mobilizing, Coordinating,and Monitoring all interventions that Promote and Strengthen the Social, economic and Political empowerment and right of Bauchi State Woman, Children and Vulnerable groups to build a healthier and peaceful Society for Sustainable Development.

She explained that all the successes achieved by the Ministry of Women Affairs, Child Development and Social Welfare, under Five years of the Present administration, was as a result of Support, good working relationship, hardwork, dedication and Loyalty of the five directorates under the Ministry as reciprocation to Motivation and changing the narrative of the Ministry to Compete with it's Counterparts across the State by Senator Bala Mohammed.

Hajara Jibrin also said since the present administration came on board, in 2019, the state has been participating in the International Day of the Girl Child in November with over 2,000 Children in attendance and benefited with Scholastic materials, the first Lady Celebrates the first baby delivered on the first day of the year and offered donations alongside 515 other lactating Mothers from 2019 to date, Participated in the National Children's day Celebration with 60,000 Children in attendance and the Ministry through out the five years of this administration has been an active Participant of Celebrating the international day of the African Child in October of every year with over 2000 in attendance.

Other achievements of the Ministry as presented by the Commissioner are, distribution of 5,000 Cows and Sheep to Muslims and Christians during Sallah and Christmas and over 90,000 wrappers distributed to Women festivities, Distributed 3, 744 cooking gas cylinders complemented by FMWA and 517 Women groups benefited and again distributed farm implements to over 200 Women.

Hajara Gidado, said in line with Governor Bala Mohammed's " My Bauchi Agenda "  the Ministry traind 400 Tsangaya Teachers, 1,000 Woman of Kaura vocational training centre Bauchi and other LGAs on rural Women accessibility and micro- finance facility for small & medium term enterprise and digital training of 100 Participants at Al-Muhibbah Foundation, in April 2024 ,35 woman from Bauchi Participated in the renewed Hope initiative programme in Maiduguri during the North East Governor's Wives Forum and 500 Women empowered by the 1st Lady of Bauchi Hajiya Aisha Bala Mohammed.

According to Hajara Gidado, another milestone achievement of the Ministry is the facilitation and coordination of passage of VAPP Law and Child protection law by the state House of Assembly and Assented by His Excellency, the Ministry has also created a positive and conducive mechanism to checkmate number of GBV Cases by establishing a Situation Room to collect all GBV Cases across the State and uploaded into the National Dashboard. As a result the state recorded 458 Cases of rape, 185 domistic violence and 96 child abuse which are presently undergoing proseçution.

Showcasing further the achievements of her Ministry for five years of present administration, Hajara Gidado, said the Ministry is championing the project " Nigeria for Women Project" (NFWP) aimed to engage women in different skills acquisition Programmes, while Cash backing to 550 Vulnerable families was made under " Empowerment and Social Support for the Vulnerable families Scheme" and 50 Sewing and grinding machine to Vulnerable families.

.Establishment of Aisha Bala Mohammed Rehabilitation and Skills training Centre for the released inmates of Remand Home in Collaboration with the Office of the First Lady Bauchi State, Renovation of destitute Centre Bauchi, From the 2019 to date 180 Cases of emergency Social services were successfully treated, recorded 107 repatriations, 38 abandoned babies, rehabilitated 30 females engaged in Commercial Sex and settled 280 family Cases through Area Social Welfare Offices of the Ministry achieved in the year under review as presented by the Commissioner.

Gidado said it is important to mention that in His Excellency's determination to ensure health care delivery to all citizens, the Ministry of Women Affairs, Child Development and Social Welfare has provided free health care services to OVCs in the State through health ticket intervention programme in 20 general hospitals across the 20 LGAs in the State, provided medical financial assistance to 140 OVCs wirh primary and Secondary cases 60 percent for orphans under 18 years and 15 percent for caregivers and 25 percent for vulnerable children, the administration purchases and distributed essential drugs to OVCS living in hard to reach areas across the 20 LGAS of the State.