Idleness, unemployment responsible for youth restiveness – Aisha Buhari

The wife of the president, Hajiya Aisha Muhammadu Buhari yesterday said idleness and unemployment is largely responsible for the increasing crime rate in some parts of the country. The president’s wife who was represented by the former deputy governor of Plateau State, Mrs Pauline Tallen noted that if most of these persons are strategically engaged […]

The wife of the president, Hajiya Aisha Muhammadu Buhari yesterday said idleness and unemployment is largely responsible for the increasing crime rate in some parts of the country.

The president’s wife who was represented by the former deputy governor of Plateau State, Mrs Pauline Tallen noted that if most of these persons are strategically engaged either through skill acquisition or education, crime will reduce in the country.

Aisha Buhari made this known during the official flag- off/inauguration of nationwide 12,000 widows empowerment and orphans/ indigent students WAEC payment organized by the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) in collaboration with Iykon Global Foundation.

She called on all non governmental organizations to support the initiative of empowering women and orphans and also collaborate with each other to boost the financial status of women.

Earlier the wife of the governor of Kebbi State, Hajiya Zainab Bagudu noted that the spate of insurgencies in the country has increased the number of widows and orphans drastically in all regions of Nigeria.

According to her the initiative was apt as it would cushion the effects of recession and help families either through agriculture or skill acquisition.

The president of the NCWS, Mrs Gloria Laraba Shoda in her opening remarks said they noted that widows in some parts of the country are treated unfairly by the society.

“widows are subjected to many unkind practices at the hands of both family and society, leaving many homeless and in abject poverty so opportunities need to be created so women can break free from the cycle of poverty and deprivation,” she said.

She warned that street children and orphans are also targeted saying, street children present an indictment on society because it should not happen and not enough is being done to curb the scourge.

“If they are not educated and trained properly, they become a danger to all of us,” she said.

 

The executive director of Iykon Global Foundation and the initiator of the project, Chief Ephraim Ikechukwu Nwonu revealed that the widows will be given at least N30,000 to boost their petty trading while N20,000 will be given to orphans and indigent students to help them register for their WAEC and reclaiming them from the streets.