The First Lady of Bauchi State, Aisha Bala Mohammed, has unveiled an empowerment package valued at more than N80 million for women across the state, alongside the distribution of bags of cassava as part of efforts to strengthen household livelihoods and promote economic self-reliance.
The intervention was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday by Zainab Garba, Press Secretary to the First Lady, following the distribution exercise.
According to the statement, the initiative is designed to provide practical support to women seeking to strengthen their businesses, increase household income and become more economically independent.
“The First Lady has reaffirmed her commitment to improving the lives of women across the state through a fresh empowerment initiative worth over N80m, alongside the distribution of bags of cassava,” the statement said.
The package forms part of Mohammed’s broader focus on grassroots interventions aimed at supporting women and vulnerable households. Her humanitarian activities have also been carried out through the Al-Muhibbah Foundation, which identifies women, children and other vulnerable groups among its beneficiaries.
The latest initiative comes against a backdrop of continuing efforts by government and private organisations to improve women’s access to income-generating opportunities in Bauchi. In August 2025, Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, represented by Aisha Mohammed, launched a N250 million grant programme for 500 women in Bauchi, with each beneficiary receiving N500,000 to start or expand a business.
The distinction between the programmes is significant: the latest N80 million package was announced as an intervention by the Bauchi First Lady, while the earlier N250 million programme was part of the federal Renewed Hope Initiative Economic Empowerment Programme.
In a related development, Yakubu Adamu, the Allied Peoples Movement’s governorship candidate for Bauchi State in the 2027 election, donated N5 million to women from the state’s 20 local government areas, according to the statement. The money was intended to assist with transportation and facilitate their return to their respective communities.
Adamu, a former Bauchi commissioner for finance, emerged as the APM’s governorship candidate in May 2026.
The interventions highlight the growing political and social emphasis on women as contributors to household income and local economic activity. For beneficiaries, the effectiveness of such programmes will ultimately depend not only on the value of assistance provided but also on transparent distribution, follow-up support and the ability of recipients to convert the intervention into sustainable income.
