Adedokun Waliyu 
The Ministry of Women Affairs has received a total budget allocation of N17.1 billion for 2023, nearly 50 per cent lower than its 2022 budget allocation of N35.749 billion, a review of the proposed budget shows.
President Muhammadu Buhari had on 7 October presented to the joint session of the National Assembly a N20.51 trillion Appropriation (Budget) Bill for the year 2023.
In the budget, the ministry proposed to spend N350 million on what it titled, “Cooking Gas Project: Advocacy and Community Mobilisation of Women in the 774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria.”
But in 2022 when the ministry got more than two times its 2023 budget, it proposed to spend only N64.5 million on the cooking gas project.
The Ministry has also proposed to spend N130 million on the purchase of grinding machines and ice block machines for indigent widows and “others” in Bayelsa East Senatorial District which is far less than the N189.05 million proposed for the same project in 2022.
The Ministry also proposed to spend N260 million on an ongoing project termed “computerisation/networking of the finance and accounts department at the headquarters for greater efficiency” while another N160 million will be used for the purchase of laptops for budget, finance and account divisions.
To produce an edition of the National Gender Policy (NGP), the ministry has also proposed to spend N160 million while surveying the national situation of vulnerable children in Nigeria will cost the ministry N203 million.
The ministry intends to expend N220 million to develop a national guideline on alternative care for children in Nigeria.
In the 2023 budget, the ministry has proposed to spend N151.6 million for the African first lady’s peace mission project.
While National Centre for Women Development (NCWD), an institution under the ministry has proposed to spend N600 million for the renovation of its centre, the ministry has proposed to spend N60.1 million on women’s rights and social justice.
To empower widows and indigent women in Nigeria, the ministry has proposed to spend N100.9 million and to support women in government and leadership the ministry intends to spend N20 million.
The ministry intends to expend N90.3 million on the establishment of a nutrition department as well as expend N50 million for vocational training and skills acquisition again for widows and disabled persons for poverty alleviation, in Langtang North, Plateau State.
For monitoring of budget performance of the ministry in the six geopolitical zones of the country and FCT, the ministry intends to spend N80 million amongst other projects and programmes.
