The significant roles that women play in the vast and variegated spectrum of human experience; beginning of course, as the veritable vessels of life through who we all are brought into this world, extrapolated to being the ever-busy home makers, healthcare givers and foundation teachers of mores and morality to their children cannot be underplayed. Neither can it be undermined by their being neglected by the all-conquering men, especially so in the murky waters of political struggle. Rather, they should be identified for such sterling natural gifts endowed by the creator and made inclusive to fashion the best way forward for a more peaceful, and productive world. And that brings to the global sphere, the relevance of the theme for the International Women’s Day campaign, which is aptly stated as: “Inspire Inclusion”.
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“To truly include women means to openly embrace their diversity of race, age, ability, faith, body image, and how they identify. Worldwide, women must be included in all fields of endeavor.”
-International Women’s Day 2024 (IWD)
As the importance of this facilitating issue in human co-existence is highlighted: “When we inspire others to understand and value women’s inclusion, we forge a better world. And when women themselves are inspired to be included, there’s a sense of belonging, relevance and empowerment.” This also makes meaning as Hilary Clinton once stated that: “Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world.” Interestingly, one Nigerian company has keyed into the theme by doing the needful and at the right time too when hunger and poverty are ravaging the land.
In fact, that precisely brings to mind, the recent patriotic move by the multiple award-winning Xtralarge Farms and Resorts Ltd to empower 1,000 Nigerian women with the mouth-watering sum of ten million naira (N10m). Mind you, this is not coming as a dash but through effective, well thought out training, capacity building empowerment programme in both the fertile fields of agriculture and tourism. A recent media chat with the thoroughbred, resourceful Group Managing Director of the company, Dr. Moji Davids beams a brighter light on the praise-worthy programme.
“The empowerment programme is mainly about the International Women’s Day theme focused on helping the women to accelerate progress. It is a training and mentorship programme that will help them to become certified tourism professionals and healthy living advocates with Xtralarge Farms. And that is capable of putting into their hands between two to ten million naira revenue within the next ninety days.
“There is a popular saying which states that give a man a fish and you will be feeding him but teach him how to fish and he will not only be able to feed himself every day but other people around him. That is what we are doing.
“We do not believe in dashing the women money but empowering them; training them, building the capacity in them so that they can add value to their lives and others in their communities. How will the winners emerge?
“Every woman that has seen our advert, or watching it on television, or heard it on radio and is interested in the program is qualified. There are no special criteria.” She went further to state that the training, or mentorship is free-absolutely free, so far the woman is ready to give out a helping hand to others in their communities. Interestingly, the programme does not end after the 90 days, as they keep earning and adding value to other people’s lives.”
It is on record that Xtralarge Farms and Resorts Ltd has over the past two decades transformed the global agriculture landscape by raising a generation of passionate farmers, from different parts of the world. It has successfully engaged in the training hundreds of thousands of people in modern organic farming, coming up with the well sought-after Wonder Meal, empowering others through networking as winners have visited some globally attractive tourism centres, across the globe. That was before expanding the scope to Nigeria’s largely untapped tourism industry with the wave-making Agritech City and Tourism Resort located at Idi-Iroko, Ogun state.
Its coming into being is currently re-writing the history of tourism in Nigeria.
For the patriotic and passionate duo of Dr. Seyi Davids and Dr. (Mrs.) Moji Davids to have walked the talk on modernizing agriculture and bringing tourism closer to the fun-seekers, both deserve full commendation.
That is more so, for going further to work out the new empowerment program for women, the silent home makers, especially in agriculture and tourism. This should be appreciated against the dark backdrop of some 133 million multi-dimensionally poor Nigerians, amongst which 71 million are currently caught in the trap of extreme poverty and hunger.
The lessons to be learnt from Xtralarge Farms and Resort Ltd are profound. Even as several citizens groan in mass misery, there is a ray of light at the end of the long, dark tunnel. The empowerment program for the women should serve as a clarion call on other private organizations to their bit to empower other citizens. And the Ministry of Women Affairs should show more interest in what this impact-making private company is making to reduce the deplorable Human Development Index (HDI) of millions of Nigerians. Its focus on increased food productivity, the health of the consumers and the increasing need for Nigerians to be stress-free by paying regular visits to the Agritech City and Resort Centre are worthy of appreciation.
By acting as both the engine and the oil driving this vision forward, Moji Davids has indeed proved that: “In our society, the women who break down barriers are those who ignore limits” as Arnold Schwarzenegger rightly stated and also that: “Women are the real architects of society” as Harriet Beecher Stowe also noted. Nigeria needs more of her rare type.
