BETTER LIFE PROGRAMME FOR RURAL WOMEN: A MEANS OF EMPOWERMENT AND NATION BUILDING

Introduction

Interestingly there have been a rapid increase of global concern and attention of women over the years. In fact, the issues bordering on consciousness raising, skill acquisition, poverty eradication, educational imbalance, political dominance and the subjugation of the womenfolk by their male counterpart have resulted in series of scholarly and non-scholarly discourse between humanitarians, gender scholars, free thinkers at the global, national and local levels. In another event, government and non-government have also overtime been at the forefront of tackling issues bordering on women empowerment. This is because it is believed that if women understood their condition and right and also learn various self-empowering skill, there would be a lot of improvement among women folk in Nigeria.

In Nigeria, it is quite sad to see women suffering from illiteracy, poverty and unemployment, consequent upon the manner the society treats them. More pathtic is the case of women who live in rural areas where there are no access to formal education and employment. However the general awareness created on the condition of women as result of the international women’s year (1975) and the decade that followed called the United Nations Decade for Women (1975-1985) as well as subsequent United Nations conference, like the 1992 Rio Conference on Environments, 1993 Vienna Human Right Conference.1995 Copenhagen summit on Social Development. The outcome of this conferences and summits facilitated the role of women in National Development. It gave women a voice on the international for a and also encouraged their liberation from patriarchal dominance and subjugation.

Nigerian women during the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, experienced tremendous relief, this was made possible by the emergence of Mrs. Maryann Babangida, the wife of the General, who launched the better Life Programme, (for African Rural Women), while her aim was to achieve stability on women national and local focus, it is believed that the project affected positively, the lives of many across rural areas. It is thus, on this background that the present study seeks to examine the role of Mrs Babangida’s programme on rural women as well as nation building.

OVERVIEW OF WOMEN EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME

The United Nations decade for women (1975-1985), the Nairobi advancement on strategies for women empowerment, the world feminist uprising and the funding from many Non-Governmental organizations have in recent times, increased the agitation and support for a better attention on women issues by many governments of the world. (Africa Development 1994). In Nigeria, there has been a strong campaign on proper recognition of women on important roles (JSTOR 2000). Overtime, the presentation of women as supportive assistants by political men became another way of appealing to societal minds in an attempt to cling political power.

The Indigenous Upspring of Women Betterment Programme in Nigeria

The alleviation of poverty has been a focus of economic policy in Nigeria, as can be found in many policy documents since independence and beyond (CBN 1990). One of the goals of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) is the improvement in the standard of living of the people through enhanced income and generation of employment opportunities. The programmes for achieving this, however, have discriminated against rural women. Opportunities for women are often limited by societal norms and values which restrict their access to assets such as land, and limit their participation in economic activities. In order to overcome these impediments and uplift the living standard of rural women, Mrs. Maryam Babangida, the wife of the then head of state, General Ibrahim Babangida initiated the Better Life Programme. 

Its main focus included the improvement of earning opportunities, and the alleviation of poverty and ignorance among rural women. The Better Life Programme was launched in 1987 to uplift the status of women in general and those in the rural areas in particular. (IFRA 2000). The Better Life Programme identified with some of the economic measures of the Structural Adjustment Programme, which aimed at boosting economic activities in the rural areas. The Programme was one of the measures introduced to ease the pain of economic restructuring and enhance the well-being of rural women. The Better Life Programme was expected to reduce the hardship faced by rural women by enhancing their productive capacity in goods and services. 

An important element of the programme was that it recognized the potential of the rural women to contribute to the attainment of national goals (This Day 2019). The programme was designed to exploit and maximize the potential of the rural women to enhance national socio-economic development.

Objectives of the Better Life Programme

The overall objective of the Better Life Programme was to enhance the productive capacity and living standards of rural women by inculcating in them the spirit of self-development through the promotion of education and business management skills (CBN, 1990). According to the Better Life Programme document (CBN, 1990), the specific objectives were to:

1. raise social consciousness about women’s rights and their social, political and economic responsibilities
2. bring women closer together for the better understanding and resolution of their problems through collective action
3. mobilize women for concrete activities towards achieving specific objectives, including assuming leadership roles in all spheres of national life
4. stimulate and motivate women in the rural areas towards achieving a better and higher standard of life and to sensitize the general populace to the plight of rural women
5. educate women in simple hygiene practices, family planning and the importance of child care
6. enlighten women in the rural areas on the opportunities and facilities available to them at the local government level
7. improve and enrich family life
8. encourage and institutionalize recreation

WOMEN’S ROLE IN THE NIGERIAN SOCIETY

With specific reference to Nigeria, Simmons (1975, 1976) noted that while the Yoruba women of Western Nigeria are usually traders, the Igbo women of Eastern Nigeria are active farmers. The Hausa-Fulani women of Northern Nigeria participate in farming activities to varying degrees as well as in food processing activities. Mcdowell and Hazard (1976) said that women are also responsible for domestic tasks: cooking, washing, fetching water and firewood, tending livestock, etc.

Arguing in a similar way, Tadesse (1984) noted that in Africa, women play a major role in agricultural ventures involving the production, preservation and commercialization of produce thereby generating income. Women are estimated to contribute about 70 per cent of the labour in food production and to be almost entirely responsible for food processing. In rural areas, while men do land clearing, grow perennial crops, provide meat and raise larger animals, women do the planting, hoeing, thinning and weeding of crops and care for domestic animals. They also harvest, preserve and prepare food in addition to caring for their children. Not only do rural women produce food crops, they spend much time working on their husbands’ cash crops, market some of their surplus, and engage in various income-generating activities.

According to the Overseas Development Agency (ODA) (1994), although situations vary across Nigeria, most rural women engage in agriculture, and in many areas, undertake most farm operations except bush clearing. In addition to their key role in food production and household maintenance, ODA confirms that women are also responsible for food processing enterprises. In the south of Nigeria, women are key figures in the marketing of food products and processed foods, while in the north Fulani women process and market dairy products. Rural women also own and care for poultry and ruminants. In addition, women are responsible for managing the household and in most instances, provide household food and children’s clothing.

CONSTRAINTS FACED BY WOMEN

In spite of the overwhelming contributions that women have made and are expected to make to the socio-economic development of their nations, they are still faced with many constraints which tend to limit their activities. These constraints occur the world over, but they seem to be more severe in developing countries.

According to the Overseas Development Agency (1994), women face social and legal constraints which inhibit their access to land, credit and productive assets. It is for this reason that rural women throughout Nigeria organize local informal savings and credit associations to pool resources and provide small loans to members. Snyder (1990) noted that employment for women in the formal sector is limited in many developing countries, as women occupy only about 10 per cent of such jobs. Even where jobs in the formal sector are given to women, women’s wages are only 50 to 67 per cent of men’s with the same qualifications. It is estimated that women run about 70 per cent of the micro-enterprises in the world today (UNIFEM, 1989). In the informal sector, they engage in trade, tailoring, domestic service, etc. Sometimes, women prefer work in the informal sector, despite the low income, because the flexible working hours allow them to spend time at home with their children and the informal working conditions allow them to take their children along to work.

Cultural restrictions often limit women’s ability to accumulate assets, to access productive resources like land and credit, and to obtain highly paid employment (Snyder, 1990). Traditional constraints, not only limit opportunities for women, they also limit directly (or more subtly) women’s own demand for such opportunities (Hertz, 1989a). The Federal Office of Statistics (1980) showed that more than half of Nigeria’s employed women are in sales-related occupations in the informal sector, particularly trading in the market. This is because they do not possess adequate qualifications for salaried employment. Even when women have formal sector opportunities, they are usually employed in low status, low paying occupations (Okojie, 1990a). Akande (1984) asserted that women in Nigeria have been active in rural development. The status and opportunities for women in the urban areas are no different. They are usually employed as traders in the informal sector.

The fact that many women, especially in the rural areas, lack the education to ensure formal sector employment has led planners to design programmes to address such constraints. Adult education helps people to know where to go for assistance and how to apply for it. According to Snyder (1990), women’s groups are committed, ready, and able to take on new roles, but they need the skills and the know-how for selecting the most effective action. The introduction of adult education is, therefore, a crucial and necessary condition for improving the well-being of women and their families

IMPACT OF THE BETTER LIFE PROGRAM

In an interview, published on the 23rd of October 2021 by Michael Adesina of the PM News, the wife of the General, Mr. Aisha Babangida had the following to say about the progress of the Better Life Programme:

‘Twenty-four women from different states (Enugu, Anambra, Oyo, Kwara, Kaduna, Kano, Borno, Delta, Ogun, Niger, Akwa Ibom, Abuja, Benue, Edo, Nasarawa and Kogi) were beneficiaries of the organization’s target. This is to provide support to rural women across Nigeria and they had the opportunity to share their stories and experiences. Each day, more women fall into the category of vulnerability due to the harsh economic situation in the country. These range from job loss, insecurity to unavailability of resources, these continuously put a strain on living day to day as well as alight fear of the future which further puts a tremendous amount of stress on the women,” 

The avenues through which the Better Life Programme achieved its objectives included women’s organizations, education, and projects in agriculture and rural industries. The Better Life Programme, therefore, embarked on various projects in these different areas. The projects included the following:

• the formation of women’s cooperatives to provide better access to resources, including agricultural inputs and credit
• the establishment of small-scale cottage industries to improve the productivity of rural women and enhance their income-generating capacities
• the enlightenment of rural dwellers on healthcare and family planning
• the establishment of multipurpose women’s centres to conduct functional literacy and vocational classes
• the encouragement of rural women to produce local arts and crafts

CONCLUSION

From all indications, the awareness level of rural women appeared high at the point of the better life initiation. There are indications that the women were mobilized through the media, especially the radio, as well as by information from local government and Better Life Programme officials. Education could play a significant role in creating awareness of the Better Life Programme. Women’s access to credit is an important benefit derivable from the programme. Given that credit is often regarded as one of the most critical constraints affecting development in the rural areas, particularly for women, the programme has provided some relief.

The provision of equipment, such as processing machines, for small-scale rural women’s processing groups and industrialists appears to have contributed significantly to the enhancement of the beneficiaries’ well-being and the development of the rural areas.

The contributions of external agencies to the implementation of the Better Life Programme, e.g., the FGN/EEC programme, have had a positive impact on the programme. In addition to the provision of resources such as equipment and funds, their involvement has improved project implementation in the areas of record keeping, financial management and accountability.

Photo Credit: https://www.solidaridadnetwork.org/story/celebrating-rural-women-contributions-in-sub-saharan-africa/

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