Udi-Rightsholders hold policy dialogue on abandoned livelihood projects

The Mother And Marginalised Advocacy Centre (MAMA Centre) under the aegis of target-led Accountability for Empowerment (A4E) project supported by VOICE Nigeria organized a One-day Rightsholders-Executive-Legislative-Media Accountability Dialogue on abandoned livelihood road projects across Udi Local Government Area of Enugu state. The Dialogue is one of the underlying activities under the project targeted primarily at bringing the women/rightsholders, executives, legislators and media under one roof to brainstorm exhaustively, articulate concerns and find common ground towards the completion of the abandoned livelihood road projects in Udi.  

Speaking during the Dialogue, Director Legal, MAMA Centre, Barr. (Mrs.) Ola E. Onyegbula, recalled that since 2018, MAMA Centre with support from VOICE Nigeria has been working women/rightsholders in Udi Local Government Area.

She said: “The current Accountability for Empowerment (A4E) project, is an advocacy project designed by women/rightsholders in Udi LGA who desire assistance in the area of capacity strengthening to demand accountability from government on abandoned livelihood projects that would have improved their economic activities in Udi Local government area of Enugu state.

“This newly-found confidence also calls for MAMA Centre intervention to through target-led approach, support the Udi women in gaining a voice and visibility within and outside their communities including awareness of their rights not only to demanding accountability on completion of the abandoned livelihood projects but also their basic needs.

“Underlying activities under the project are targeted at inclusive/participatory planning, participatory implementation, participatory monitoring and participatory evaluation of communities in livelihood projects.”

According to her, Udi women/rightsholders are indigenous farmers, who derive most of their income from the sale of farm products or trading activities.

“They are indigenous women, women groups, female farmers, traders and teacher,” the Director Legal added.

In a presentation tiled ‘Abandoned livelihood road projects: Understanding the plight of Udi women/rightsholders’, Gender and Human Right Expert, Ms. Okereke Jessica Amauche, highlighted that women are of vital importance to rural economies for they are responsible for some 45% to 80% of food production in developing countries, as reported by United Nations.

She explained that in many farming communities, women are the main custodians of knowledge on crop varieties. In the analysis of World Bank, women are the backbone of the rural economy, especially in developing countries including Nigeria.

“The number of female-headed households, who are majorly small-holder farmers, has also increased as more men have migrated to cities. 

“As the primary caregivers to families and communities, women provide food and nutrition; they are the human link between the farm and the table.

“By implication, increasing women's agricultural productivity and accessibility to market opportunities is key to increasing overall agricultural productivity, empowering women and reducing poverty.

“This reveals the benefits of supporting agricultural productivity and food security through adequate access to commercial markets for timely distribution of farm produce in Udi Local Government, where marketisation efforts and earning capacity of smallholder farm households (majorly female-headed) are frustrated by the abandoned and inaccessible roads to available commercial markets,” Amauche noted.

Narrating the current situation of the abandoned livelihood projects in Udi, she stressed that Udi women are key agents for community development.

“They play a catalytic role towards achievement of transformational economic, environmental and social changes required for sustainable development.

“But limited access to enabling livelihood projects and empowerment opportunities are among the many challenges they face.

“These are further aggravated by the continued neglect of abandoned livelihood projects like accessible roads with potential to enhance their agricultural productivity, marketability and profitability for socio-economic empowerment and self-stainability as well as community development.    

“Hundreds of Udi small-holder farmers, majorly female-headed are currently spearheading a silent revolution towards self-reliance through critical contributions to agricultural productivity, which has proven to be an effective poverty alleviation intervention in enabling marginalized women to become economically independent.

“The progress is however, hampered by inaccessible roads linking communities to major commercial markets within the Local Government; as women are not able to sell their farm products.

“For instance, the roads leading from their villages to markets and to other neighbouring towns like Ekeani Enugu village via Etiti via Amachala via Umuase to Nsude mission market to Orie Agu and Nkwoagu markets are unmotorable.

“The State Government during the past administration awarded contracts to build the linking roads for ease of movement from the hinterland to the cities so that smallholder farmers will have means of transporting their goods to improve incomes.”

Amauche continued: “For lack of access roads, the women farmers earn very little for their hard work, most of the perishable items spoil from lack of storage facilities or lack of buyers and access roads to transport goods to cities where they can get value for their money.

“Apart from high operating costs associated with the growing of crops and incessant break down of processing machines, high costs of transporting the farm products within and between the communities and markets is largely attributed to deplorable state of roads in Udi Local Government with majority of the famers complaining that transporters charge arbitrary prices to convey farm products to desired destinations or markets.”

Citing the commitment of the State Government towards rural development, she observed that the campaign manifesto of Enugu state Governor, Dr Peter Mbah, makes provision for robust investment in agricultural sector to develop the economy of the state.

“He promised targeted programmes implementation that will focus on agro-allied industrialization in rural communities with fundamental purposes of creating jobs for rural youths and women, turn rural areas into productivity zones, pull millions out of extreme poverty, and significantly reduce hunger-induced insecurity in rural communities.

“Governor Mbah pledged to do through initiatives such as the Special Agro-Industrial Zones and technology-enabled Extension Services, represents a sensible fallback on potentially-rewarding and reliable low-hanging fruits,” Amauche indicated.

Also, MAMA Centre-Udi rightsholders also Champion, Madam Grace Oriaku, acknowledged that Accountability for Empowerment project holds the potential for improving well-being of Udi female farmers, while offering them expanded opportunities that are greater sustainable empowerment tools, while increasing their welfare with positive effects on the next generation.

“This will indirectly enhance their financial capacity to adequately respond to child health, nutrition and education.

Similarly, MAMA Centre-rightsholder/Champion, Madam Cecilia Eze MAMA Centre observed that empowering Udi women is essential, not only for the well-being of individuals, families and rural communities, but also for overall economic productivity, given women’s large presence in the agricultural workforce in the Local Government.

Responding to the presentations, the Speaker Enugu State Lawmaker, Hon Uche Ugwu, Secretary to State Government, SSG, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, Hon. Okechukwu Aneke and Udi Council Chairman, Hon Hon. Ifeanyi Agu assured the women of their commitment to deliver dividend of democracy to Udi people.

They commended MAMA Centre-Voice Nigeria for the project that unites women with one voice towards the progress and development of Udi.

They promised to critically review the demands and recommendations by the rightsholders to properly mainstream them for prompt delivery within the context of other empowerment projects planned for the council areas.

The Speaker further assured them of adequate legislative commitment towards sustainable Udi-women empowerment through adequate budgetary allocation and oversight activities to ensure efficient implementation of livelihood projects across the council.

“I assure you of our commitment to deliver dividend of democracy but as a lawmaker, I will make sure the plight of Udi women and others get to the appropriate channel and I will follow it up to make sure it’s implemented,” he said.

Udi LG Chairman, represented by his Deputy, Nze Philip Okoh, re-assured of the Council’s support and readiness to work with Udi rightsholders in delivering good governance to the people through impactful implementation of livelihood road projects.

They encouraged the women/rightsholders to sustain the existing association and collaboration as such could be extended to making similar legitimate demands such as collective land for farming to their enhance productivity.