OONI OF IFE EMPOWERS 100 WOMEN AS THE WORLD CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

On 8th of March every year, The International Women's day is celebrated globally. The day is significant as it serves as an avenue to celebrate outstanding women across different spheres of life worldwide in addition to bringing about renewed awareness on the course for gender equality.

In Ile-Ife Osun State, South-West Nigeria, this year 2021 edition of  the global event was rather marked in a special way as the Ooni of Ife,  His Imperial Majesty, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi Ojaja II in his usual magnanimous style to the course of women and young ones rolled out an empowerment programme where about a hundred women were empowered in textile production, crafts and designs.

Briefing journalists at the event, the Founder of The Adire Oodua Textile Hub, Ile-Ife, Princess Aderonke Ademiluyi said the one day training workshop held at the newly commissioned Textile Hub was part of the Queen Moremi Ajasoro International Initiative of His Imperial Majesty, the Arole Oduduwa, Ooni Enitan Ogunwusi.

"His Majesty is empowering hundred women and he has told us to teach them the craftsmanship of Adire Making and also those who want further training to train them and then employ them. So it is form of job creation for the women. His majesty is at the forefront of empowering women through his Queen Moremi Ajasoro International initiative. So this is one of the initiatives of His majesty", She said.

Princess Aderonke expressed her impression over the massive turnout of the women for the programme which according yo her, came from different parts of the South-West and not just from Ife.

She therefore charged the participants to properly utilize the  free training opportunity to build a sustainable income stream from themselves.

"I actually thought that the participants will only be from Ife but to my surprise, some of them came from Osogbo, some from Ibadan, Ilesha all areas of the South-West women came today because they about this empowerment programme.

"My advise is for the women to focus on what they are teaching them because it is something that can bring sustainable income for them. It was free, we did not charge them. So we are saying just because it is free, do not see it as a joke. Focus on what you are being taught and then you can come back. We can teach you more and once you have learned to a stage, we can employ and start paying you" She said.