Int’l Women’s Day: LAPO gives out N0.9m to women for contributing to growth, development of Nigeria

As part of activities to commemorate the 2021, International Women’s Day, the Lift Above Poverty Organization (LAPO) doled out N0.9 million to three women for their outstanding contributions to professional, agriculture and business sectors in the country.

The three awardees bagged the 9th LAPO Outstanding Leadership Award 2021 during the commemoration of the 2021 International Women’s Day with the theme: “Achieving an Equal Future in a COVID-19 World.”

The awardees: Felicia Funmilola Babalola, in the professional category, Christiana Ovieba Ebitimi, in business category, and Joke Kolaja Adesina, in the farming category were each given N300,000 cash prize in addition to plague.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of LAPO, Godwin Ehigiamusoe, said the LAPO Outstanding Women Leadership Award was instituted to acknowledge and reward women who demonstrated commitment towards making the world better for all.

According to him, as a development organization, LAPO is passionate about women, as well as committed to their overall development. “For more than two decades, the organization has been at the forefront of bringing gender issues to wider attention, recognizing and promoting women’s contributions to the advancement of Nigeria,” he said.

He said, from inception, LAPO has been involved in community health improvement and playing a major role in addressing the challenges limiting the progress of women, including economic powerlessness, social exclusion and ill-health.

Ehigiamusoe posited that, in spite of the challenges of 2020, the organization was still able to reach substantial number of vulnerable communities with health intervention services.

He disclosed that LAPO had in 2020 fiscal year, improved national food security with the disbursement of N12.2 billion to 152,446 rural farmers under the LAPO Rural Development Initiative (LARDI) which represents 12 per cent growth of N10.9 billion disbursed in year 2019.

“These women have surmounted enormous challenges in our environment to make huge impact,” he added.

Chairman, Board of Directors, LAPO, Osarenren Emokpae predicted that in no distant time, there will be more women representation in public life and parliament than the in Nigeria. He opined that there are more women in public life and parliament than the men in countries like: Rwanda, Cuba and Bolivia, expressing optimism that in the nearest future women in Nigeria will have more representation in public life and parliament than men.

He explained that the 2021 award provides a unique opportunity to appreciate the enormous contributions of women to the economic development and progress of Nigeria whether in business, agriculture, as entrepreneurs or employees or by doing unpaid care work at home.

Emokpae added that in spite of the various cultural and traditional beliefs that have impinged on women’s human rights over the years, they have proven over time that they possess the quality, talent and character required not only for the growth of the nation but for the enhancement of the progress and wellbeing of the human society at large.

LAPO has over the years set the pace as a development organization advancing the cause of women and eliminating barriers hindering their social-economic progress and ending violence against them.