By Magnus Emuji / Rukevwe Adugbo/ Vincent Mordi
Delta State Commissioner for Secondary Education, Mrs. Rose Ezewu has stressed the need for the sustainability of the Japan UNESCO Women and Girl Child Empowerment project In Marginalised Communities in the state as a result of its multiplier effects.
Mrs. Ezewu stated this Asaba during the presentation of the end line report and closing event for Japan UNESCO Project on Employment of Women and Girls in Marginalised Communities for Better Well being.
The Commissioners who was represented by the Director of Quality Assurance and Inspectorate, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Comr. Enerst Ossai urged the learners to understand that the project would still run and ensure that they registered for post literacy classes especially for those that were successful in the basic literacy examination conducted in February, 2022.
While recalling that women and girls were selected from ten Local Government Areas as beneficiaries of the programme, Mrs. Ezewu described the benefits of the project as innumerable.
Mrs. Ezewu, who stated that during the process each facilitator and learner in the selected adult literacy centres were paid the sum of Ten Thousand Naira and Twenty Thousand Naira respectively in every month, noted that participants were exposed to training on basic literacy teaching and prevention measures of COVID-19 .
Earlier, the State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu appreciated the Japan UNESCO Project for building the capacity of journalists on the importance of enlightening the public on the need to shun gender base violence and for ensuring that women from marginalised communities were also trained.
Aniagwu said that Okowa administration was irrevocably committed to ensuring that women were accorded their pride of place and carried along in the scheme of things, adding that several empowerment programmes for women and girls such as the Girls Entrepreneurship Training Skills had been carried out for over benefits of women.
He further stated that the State Government often recognised the importance of women in societal development, stressing that empowering women was one of the measures to eradicate poverty in the society.
In her goodwill message, the Omu Anioma, Dr. Martha Dunkwu who explained that if people neglected the importance of training women the society would collapse, said that she was always passionate about things that could uplift women and the girl child in the society.
Dr. Dunkwu stated that the programme was apt , even as she described media as an indispensable tool in the advancement of women .
The State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Community and Social Development, Mrs. Flora Alatan delivered her welcome address through a Deputy Director in her Ministry, Adebayo Jane Ohore and the Secretary to the State Government (SSS) , Chief Patrick Ukah who was represented by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor, Office of the SSG, Mr. Felix Ideh presented a keynote address at the event.
Others who presented goodwill message included the Chairperson of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, Delta State chapter, Mrs. Patricia Gbemudu, the Executive Director, Concern for Peace and Society Survival, Uche Onwumah and the Chairman of the National Association of Literary Support Services (NOGALSS) , Delta State chapter, Mr. Harry Sodje.