Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) residing at Yimitu settlement in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) have been empowered with a groundnut oil processing equipment, to give them a new lease of life.
The equipment was donated by the Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA) in collaboration with the FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
A statement signed by Nkechi Isa, Head, Public Affairs unit of FEMA on Wednesday in Abuja, said that the IDPs were trained on the use of the equipment.
Alhaji Abass Idriss, the Director-General, FEMA, commended JICA for its numerous interventions in IDPs settlement and for improving the lives of the settlers.
He appealed to residents of the settlement to utilise and manage the installed equipment judiciously for economic development and to improve their wellbeing.
He also called on the residents to protect the equipment and to cascade the training to other women in the settlement.
Mr Alkali Muhammad, the Managing Director, North East Development Commission (NEDC), commended JICA for empowering the women in view of the important role they play in the society.
Muhammad, represented by Hajia Fatima Ciroma, urged the women to use the skill acquired and the equipment to generate income in other to be self sufficient.
JICA’s representative, Mr Yuzurio Susumu, said thst the aim of the empowerment programme was to enable the IDPs fend for themselves.
Susumu noted that the agency would continue to strengthen the capacity of IDPs to improve their livelihoods.
In her remarks, Mrs Halita Joseph, women leader of the IDPs settlement, who spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries, appreciated the agencies for the empowerment programme, noting that it would improve their livelihoods.