One Woman for 10 Families, a Katsina State-based political group, has embarked on the payment of N5,000 monthly upkeep allowance to wives of husband serving jail terms, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports
The group, which started the gesture three years ago, says it has so far expended N32 million on the payment of the allowances and other humanitarian services to the poor.
Hajiya Jamila Mashi, the group’s Director-General, told NAN on Tuesday in Mashi that the stipend would cushion the effect of the bread winners’ absence on affected families.
“When the husband is absent, the wife goes through a lot of hardship and can be become vulnerable to exploitation. Our goal is to minimise such stress on the women,” Mashi said.
She said that the group had also distributed 20 sets of wheelchairs to some of the people living with disability, and also provided 500 sets of school uniforms to pupils in some selected primary schools in Katsina, Daura and Funtua senatorial zones.
According to her, the goup has also supplied foodstuff and essential commodities to inmates of orphanages and prisons across the three senatorial districts.
“Aside the items supplied to the orphanages and the prisons, we also visit each of them once in every three months,” she said
She said that the group had also distributed 65 sewing machines as part of efforts to empower women to become self-reliant.
On the source of funding, the Director General said that monies used to fund the initiatives were donations from public-spirited individuals.
“We also engage in monthly sanitation in some parts of Katsina metropolis to keep the environment clean and avoid the dangers of living in unhygienic environments,” he said.
Mashi expressed the group’s commitment to the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari and Gov Aminu Masari in 2019, saying that the duo had performed “wonderfully well”.
“To ensure that the two officials are re-elected, our group has registered 35,00 women. Each woman is expected to bring votes from 10 households during the 2019 election,” she explained.
She said that the Buhari administration had restored security, reformed the agriculture sector and was fighting corruption.
“Masari also deserves a fresh tenure to consolidate on his achievements in the areas of agriculture, commerce and education,” she said.
She particularly commended Masari for constructing 250 classes in primary and junior secondary schools and renovating 500 other schools.
NAN reports that the group, whose headquarters is in Katsina, has established administrative offices in the 34 local governments. (NAN)