Oyo State Government has distributed cash and food items to 1000 elderly residents of the State and some elderly focused NGOs, restating it’s commitment to catering for the welfare of the elderly in the society.

This was as it declared it’s readiness to designate  one primary health care center in every local government area of the State for the care of elderly people.

Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social inclusion, Mrs Toyin Balogun, stated this on Monday at an event organized in commemoration of the international Day for the elderly, held at the House of Chiefs, Secretariat, Ibadan.

She noted that Governor Makinde led Government has been people centric by putting in place several interventions that are aimed at making life more meaningful for all segments of the society.

According to the Commissioner, the State Government will soon kick start an elderly friendly healthcare centers in 9 local government areas, which will later be expanded to other councils before 2027.

The Commissioner noted that the event, themed ” Ageing with dignity” was held to add value to the lives of the elderly demographic and to teach them on how to live a fulfilling life, free from health challenges, neglect and isolation.

She said “This is a Government that is people centric. This Government is putting in place interventions that are in the best interest of the people”.

“In some communities the elderly ones are being looked at with derision, but the Government of Governor Makinde is committed to leaving no one behind. My Ministry is responsible for the welfare of women, children, elderly and the physically challenged ones.

“We consider our elderly ones as a valued source, because these are people who have lived their lives in the service of their families, children and society at large.

We think it is very important for us to make sure that we support them in their old age.

“We are hoping, by next year, to expand the scope so that we can onboard more elderly people. Also, we are working in collaboration with a number of NGOs and agencies that have competencies in the care of the elderly.

“We have put in place plans that are going to be sustainable even beyond the lifetime of this Government. One of them is social welfare intervention and we are hoping to be able to take action next year such that the elderly will benefit from stipends once every two or three months.

“In addition to that, we are going to be designating one PHC as an elderly-friendly health care center. And in the last discussion we had, we said it is better for us to scale our intervention so that we can monitor and measure the result.

“So, our plan is to deploy to the first nine local government areas and after six months, we will re- assess and expand.

Also speaking, the guest lecturer and Nutritionist, Dr Tunde Ajobo, appreciated the Makinde led administration for implementing policies that are friendly to the aged, including the prompt payment of pensions and gratuities, among others.

He equally charged members of the society to take care of their old ones so that they can enjoy their old age, just as he called on the Government to organize sensitization programmes for the aged across wards and local government levels.

Stressing that people should be aware of changes in their body system as they advance in  age. He said the major thing that happens in old age is pronounced dehydration. If they don’t drink enough water it affects them adversely.

He explained further that, if an elderly begins to  skip meals, it is another thing to actually look into. It will surely have a long term effect, because it can lead to nutrient deficiency. As one is ageing, his stomach gets compacted and not as wide as when we are at youth. Even if they are going to take a small meal it must be adequate and nutritious.

In their separate remarks co-chairman of the Oyo State Elders’ Council, Dr Saka Balogun, Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Prince Dotun Oyelade and the member representing Ibadan North Constituency l in the Oyo State House of Assembly, Honourable Comforter Olajide, appreciated the Governor  Makinde led administration for its unwavering commitment to the people of the State across different age grades and social strata.

One of the beneficiaries, Mr Olugbenga Jegede, who spoke to newsmen at the end of the event, commended the State Government for organising the event which he described as timely and a good one.

Other side attractions of the event includes  “ayo olopon” game, cultural dance display and palm wine drinking.

It is with a deep sense of loss but gratitude to God for a life well spent that we mourn the demise of a former Director-General at the Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women Development Abuja who was also a renowned musical icon with the cognomen “The Elegant Stallion” Lady Onyeka Onwenu; the legendary singer, songwriter, actress, and cultural ambassador who has left an indelible mark on the music industry, the arts, the sands of time, advancement of the cause of the female demographic and the hearts of fans worldwide.

The Elegant Stallion was the Director-General of the Maryam Babangida Centre For Women Development from September 2013 to February 2016. While at the helm of Affairs at the Agency, she repositioned the Centre as a Training Ground for building capacity for women, children and the less privileged.

A major area she concentrated on was highlighting the plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Her placing the spotlight on their plight led to the provision for rehabilitation and reintegration programmes in the budget of the Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women Development to cater for IDPs from the North East states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe where this was most endemic

Lady Onyeka collaborated with the Iconic Chief Sunday Adegeye popularly known as Sunny Ade on an iconic track titled “Wait for Me” which preached the ideal of Responsible Reproduction/Parenting. She also solely produced a song titled “Not Alone” to identify with the plights of the IDPs.

Also, the International Day for the Girl-Child (11th October) was first celebrated nationally under her watch as the DG of the Agency in Nigeria. In addition to all the foregoing, she also incorporated the formal training of female Artisans and promoted the production of Ankara made souvenirs in the Centre. She was thus a notable and impact full proponent and instrument of Social Change and Engineering

Throughout her illustrious career, Lady Onyeka Onwenu received numerous accolades and awards, including the prestigious Nigerian National Order of Merit. She was also a former Chairperson of the Imo State Council for Arts and Culture.

The late DG left behind a legendary career in the music industry which bequeathed us with several classic, evergreen songs

On behalf of Oyo State women, we mourn the demise of a trailblazer, a visionary social engineer and a leader among the female demographic who bore a burden to improve the quality of lives lived by our women.

We extend commiseration to her family, friends, Nigerian women and her fans during this difficult time.

May her music and vision continue to inspire and uplift both the present and the next generation of women and men alike

Adieu Elegant Stallion, rest on in the bosom of your Creator until the Resurrection morning

Hon (Mrs) Toyin BALOGUN

Commissioner for Women Affairs & Social Inclusion

“Empowerment of women is the easiest way to entrench sustainable development. Empirical data gathered on bank loans shows that women are very credit worthy. When the female demographic is empowered, it trickles down to the most vulnerable in our society because no woman will have money in her pocket and ignore the needs of her children

Empowerment of women is also critical for the reduction and elimination of societal ills such as the Out of School Children menace, drug abuse and other malfeasances”

The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Hon Mrs Toyin Balogun stated these during an engagement with the Country Director of the Women in Agricultural Technical Education and Apprenticeship in Nigeria (WATEA) Project; Ms Zaina Sore Koutou in company of the Project Coordinator for the South West Mr Onasanya on the 19th of July

This was sequel to an engagement of the donor sponsoring this project, the French Govt rep and the Country Director Ms Zaina Sore Koutou with His Excellency Governor Seyi Makinde few days ago

The WATEA

team were on hand to make a presentation to the Commissioner and her team on the scope of the proposed collaboration with Oyo State

Ms Zaina Koutou explained that this initiative is intended to benefit 3,000 students in Technical Colleges nationwide, 80% of which must be women.

In Oyo State, 500 students of the Technical College in Ibarapa are to benefit, 400 of which must be women

The projected outcomes from this collaboration between the French Govt /IITA and Oyo State Govt include but not limited to the following:

1. Technologies, insights and experiences from developed Countries are incorporated into the curriculum of study at the Technical College in 3 sectors of Agriculture.
2. This will make graduates of this institution either more employable or provide them with capacity to become employers of labour themselves.
3. This will greatly reduce the unemployment index with positive implications for Food Security
4. There is also an Exchange Program element to this collaboration with travel to France incorporated to enable beneficiary students experience first hand modern agricultural best practices

According to Hon Balogun, this is a very timely collaboration given that agriculture is one of the corner stones of the Governor Seyi Makinde led govt through which he intends to solve the challenge of Food Security and to diversify the earning base of the State.

The Commissioner stressed that she bears a burden to empower the large proportion of indigent women in the State through interventions from various sectors of the economy, one of these being agriculture where we have a comparative advantage of arable land compared to other south west States

The Commissioner stated that she’s also presently in talks with Amo Sanders, a notable entity in agribusiness with a view to training and empowering some of our indigent women through Noiler Poultry Farming which will not only empower our women economically, it also has implications for reducing the malnutrition index and stunting in our children, Food Quality and Food Security

She stated further that both her ministry and OYSADA are presently collaborating on various interventions, Works In Progress, which will see a lot of our women who are presently unemployed and indigent getting involved in the agricultural value chain from production of food crops like tomatoes, pepper, onions, rice etc. to cash crops and allied products like shea butter, cotton (for the manufacture of Aso Oke), aloe vera to animal husbandry, Goatry etc. Also, another agribusiness based collaboration with the World Bank is in the offing.

Part of her vision is to with His Excellency’s approval, incorporate as many of our indigent women/female farmers as possible into the agricultural value chain  in each of the 33 local govts to reduce food scarcity and the possibility of Oyo State serving as the food basket of the South West in the first instance and the entire Southern Nigeria in the larger picture

She also explained that the Ministry is planning to host an engagement with female farmers in the State soon with a view to understanding the peculiar challenges they face which militate against their ability to perform maximally

This will enable the ministry come up with creative  solutions which will help maximize their productive capacity

According to the Country Rep of the French govt/IITA collabo Mrs Zaina Sore, the WATEA project is born out of the fact that hitherto, little attention has been given to the attractiveness and quality of Agricultural Technical Vocational Education and Training in Nigeria which can contribute substantially to increasing productivity, resilience and sustainability of the agricultural sector.

Ms Soure explained that young women are not exposed to  agricultural technical education, which is perceived as outdated and lacking in decent job prospects but the demand for qualified agrifood technicians is significant and increasing which is presenting an opportunity for young women to access gainful employment or self employment.

She stated that the project will operate in six pilot States which is organized into three regional clusters based on their strategic geographic location and they are: Kwara and Oyo States for the South West, Anambra and Enugu States for the South East while Kano and Jigawa States are taken from the North.

Soure stressed further that the project is in two tranches and the training will be for two years at the Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Igboora (OYSCATECH) and the collaborating MDAs are Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA), Ministries of Women Affairs & Social Inclusion, Agriculture and Education

Mrs Kemi Omotosho

INFORMATION OFFICER

MIN OF WOMEN AFFAIRS & SOCIAL INCLUSION

The Oyo State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Hon. (Mrs) Toyin Balogun in order to underscore the Zero Tolerance Policy of the Governor Seyi Makinde led Government for Sexual & Gender Based Violence (SGBV) cases in  Oyo State appeared in court on Monday in expression of empathy, solidarity and support to the 9 year old Girl Child Survivor of a rape incident

The Commissioner immediately swung into action on the 6th with her team from the ministry by collaborating with requisite security agencies, lawyers from FIDA and the Family Court to ensure that justice is served in the interest of the Girl Child involved immediately she received the heartbreaking report of the rape of the minor, which took place on the 6th of July around Moniya axis of the State from a public spirited individual, a youth corper who lives around that general location who alerted her.

According to her, the young girl child survivor is presently in the custody of the Ministry in a safe and secure environment where she is being given adequate care, psychological and psycho- social support to ensure this horrific experience does not derail her life trajectory irretrievably nor define her journey, so she can grow/rise above this to become a productive member of society in future

She said the suspected perpetrator who absconded on the day of the incident has since been tracked down and arrested. His wife was picked up when he absconded but has been released once the perpetrator was found and arrested by the police

“The perpetrator was charged to court yesterday (Monday) morning and has been remanded to jail. He will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law to determine his guilt or otherwise.”

“His remand happened with the Commissioner for Women Affairs & Social Inclusion and representatives of Child Welfare Dept. Women Program dept. and the NSCDC present”

“The Ministry under my watch is determined to protect the interest of all children in Oyo State in general and are also committed to securing justice for the survivor in this instance.”

“Appreciation to the new CP and his team, same also goes for the NSCDC who have given the requisite support in aid of the Ministry’s efforts to ensure that justice is served.”

“The Ministry of Women Affairs & Social Inclusion will be working with professional advice from the Commissioner’s Learned Colleague; the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice to ensure that Justice is secured for the Survivor who in this case is a minor.”

“The Government of His Excellency Governor Seyi Makinde is committed to walking it’s talk on its Zero Tolerance to Sexual & Gender Based Violence Policy in Oyo State,” the Commissioner said.

The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Inclusion in Oyo State, Hon (Mrs.) Toyin Balogun, has expressed her thankfulness to Allah (SWT) for granting the grace to the Muslim Ummah in Oyo State to see another Eid-el-Kabir celebration

She expressed her gratitude to the Almighty by the distribution of rams, cow meat, food items and cash to Islamic leaders, Muslim faithful and different vulnerable groups from the 33 local governments of the state.

This initiative was predicated upon the holiday’s core values of sacrifice and sharing with inspiration from the trying times experienced by Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) who never stopped extending a hand of fellowship and love to other despite his own challenges and particularly her dedication towards welfarism for women groups, widows, children, the elderly & the physically challenged in our society

In her statement, she emphasised the imperative for her to complement the efforts of her Principal; His Excellency Governor Seyi Makinde in his drive to improve the quality of life lived by his people, particularly during these trying times and especially for the vulnerable members of society.

“This holiday is a reminder of our responsibility to extend love to our Brothers and sisters within the Muslim Ummah, to care for our neighbors, the less privileged and other vulnerable members of society,” she said.

This initiative, she stated, was motivated particularly in the light of the ongoing economic crisis in the Country.

With inflation on the rise, agitation for salary increment by organized labor which will exacerbate the economic crisis once granted and food insecurity affecting millions, this initiative, she believes, is a lifeline for many families struggling to make ends meet.

Balogun also acknowledged Governor Seyi Mankinde’s pivotal role in fostering peace and unity in the state with his even handed distribution of development across all zones and his model of inclusivity for all major faiths across board

She described the Governor as “an iconic and worthy role model, a shining example of selflessness and generosity of spirit,” citing his commitment to providing infrastructure and also his support for social welfare initiatives and interventions that will benefit our people, particularly from the vulnerable demographic in the State

“His Excellency’s commitment & dedication to serving the people of Oyo State is highly commendable and emulatable.

I am inspired by his positive precepts to emulate his leadership mantra which can be encapsulated as ‘Selfless service to the people’, and have keyed into his  drive to create a more equitable and just society,” she said.

I wish the entirety of the Muslim Ummah both home and abroad and all the vulnerable groups in our society a very happy Eid Ul Adha!

Oju wa a ma a rodun o!

Hon (Mrs) Toyin BALOGUN

Commissioner For Women Affairs & Social

Inclusion.