Government Programmes in Nigeria - Work and Family

Family Support Programme (FSP)

Initiated in 1994, this Programme culminated in the creation of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Social Welfare. Its aim is to support and protect the family (both rural and urban) as an entity and its living conditions. One of the ideas sustaining this effort is that women and children are true components of the family. They have the rights to membership of society and freedom and are not to be considered as second-class citizens. The Programme recognizes that equal access of women to education, training, credit and services is a valuable contribution to development. Actions are to be undertaken, at the national level through the offices of the First Lady, at the state level through wives of administrators and at the local level through local government chairmen. The areas of action of the Programme are health, education, women in development, agriculture, child welfare and youth development, disability and destitution, income generation and facilitating the provision of shelter for families from on-going housing programmes of government.

The efforts undertaken under the FSP has resulted in various developments:

1. A committee defined the modalities for the establishment of a special University for women.

2. The task force on girl-child education and child rights committees have been inaugurated, as well as vocational centres for specific skill acquisition, day-care centres and nursery schools.

3. Income generating has been emphasised and the establishment of micro-enterprises, arts and crafts has been promoted, such as ceramic production, soap making, tie dying, dress making and cottage industries.

4. Concerning agriculture, the FSP has distributed agricultural inputs (fertilizers, seedlings, etc.). Irrigation and tractor hiring schemes have been arranged for women farmers at subsidized rates. Attempts have also been made to provide small scale loans for women in the rural area.

5. In November 1995, a national workshop on Financing Agriculture Production by Women was held. Its purpose was to improve the scope of income generation activities of women at the grassroots level.

6. The FSP is also active internationally. It took part in the 7^th OAU/ECA All African Trade and Tourism Fair in Kaduna from 29 March to 6 April 1997.

7. Finally, the FSP has organized zonal workshops on the critical areas defined in the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action.

Family Economic Advancement Programme

This Programme, launched by the government in 1996, has operated credit facilities for women and family units for the promotion of family enterprises. It has been provided with over N7 billion by the government. There are also Credit Administration Entities which assist women to participate actively in the economy through the provision of advisory services on micro-credit.

Family Support Trust Fund

This Fund was established by the Family Support Trust Fund Decree 1995 (Decree No. 10) of 15 June 1995. Section 1 (3) states that it is under the authority of the Head of State. The Family Support Trust Fund Management Board is the organ in charge of the management of the Fund (section 2 (1)). According to section 5, this Board is, inter alia, concretely responsible for the following functions:

1. receiving monies accruing to the Fund;

2. disbursing monies from the Fund to such programmes as may be determined, from time to time, by the Head of State;

3. promoting decent health care delivery with the general purport of reducing maternal and child mortality and morbidity through improved health care delivery system for the family;

4. assisting families identify economically viable enterprises for income generation and provide technical and financial support for their implementation;

5. assisting rural families increase their agricultural productivity and other skills for the improvement of their well-being;

6. enhancing the capacity of parents to act as role models to their children through guidance and counselling and public enlightenment programmes;

7. creating, arousing and sustaining the interests of the Federal, State and Local governments, the Nigerian people, and the international community on the activities of the Family Support Programme;

8. sensitizing government on the need to provide adequate shelter for all Nigerians;

9. promoting and improving the welfare of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in the society, notably women; and

10. carrying out public enlightenment campaigns for the general public on matters of human decency, civic responsibility and concern for the welfare of the disadvantaged.