UN Hails Ogun As Abiodun Empowers 100,000 Women

​ABEOKUTA — Governor Dapo Abiodun has announced that approximately 100,000 women across Ogun State have directly benefited from the World Bank-supported Nigeria for Women Programme (NFWP), championing grassroots economic inclusion as the cornerstone of poverty reduction and familial stability.

​The governor made this disclosure at the Governor’s Office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, during a high-level engagement with the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Ms. Amina Mohammed, where both leaders interacted directly with local beneficiaries.

​Abiodun emphasized that true empowerment must transcend token political appointments, focusing instead on equipping everyday women with tangible resources, technical skills, and financial access to establish sustainable livelihoods.

​”We saw in that programme the opportunity to empower women because not all women are able to contest elections or be appointed commissioners,” Abiodun stated. “We saw the opportunity to touch the lives of these women at the grassroots, empower them to support their households, and give them a sense of dignity.”

​Ogun State entered the initiative as one of six pilot states when it was launched in 2020. According to the State Coordinator of the programme, Mrs. Bola Fadairo, the state has vastly outperformed its initial projections, exceeding its target by 105 percent.

​To date, 8,759 Women Affinity Groups (WAGs) have been successfully established across all 20 local government areas, drawing a membership of 247,273 women. Participants undergo extensive training in financial management, bookkeeping, gender awareness, life skills, and enterprise development.

​The remarkable scale of implementation has turned Ogun into a national benchmark. Abiodun noted that delegations from more than 25 states across the federation have visited the Gateway State to understudy its implementation framework.

​Impressed by the scope and execution of the initiative, the UN Deputy Secretary-General lauded the state government for providing crucial seed funding and demonstrating an unwavering belief in the entrepreneurial capacity of women.

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​”A country is as strong as its women,” Mohammed declared, praising the resilience and creativity displayed by the beneficiaries. She added that she intends to champion Ogun’s model, noting that “a seed was sown in Ogun State for the women of Nigeria, and that seed is growing.”

​Reiterating his administration’s forward-looking agenda, Abiodun expressed optimism that the initiative will deepen across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, cementing the reality that investing in women equates to building more prosperous communities and a stronger nation.