@nostalgicsound_ng: At the 2nd Better Life Fair held at Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, on March 17, 1990, Ondo State First Lady Feyi Soluade George, wife of the then Military Governor of Ondo State, Commodore Bode George, spoke on the growing impact of grassroots-focused initiatives across the state. In her remarks, she highlighted efforts aimed at strengthening women’s participation in community development and expanding access to economic opportunities at the local level. . The Better Life Programme for Rural Women was a major national development initiative launched in 1987 under Nigeria’s First Lady, Maryam Babangida, during the administration of President Ibrahim Babangida. It was designed to improve the social and economic conditions of rural women by moving them from the margins of development into more active participation in national life. . At its core, the programme focused on grassroots empowerment. It promoted the formation of women’s cooperatives, encouraged small-scale enterprise, and supported skills acquisition in areas such as agriculture, food processing, crafts, and trade. It also placed emphasis on education, healthcare awareness, and maternal welfare, aiming to strengthen the family unit through women’s upliftment. . A key feature of the initiative was the Better Life Fairs, held across Nigeria. These fairs served as platforms where women from different states showcased their products, shared experiences, and accessed wider economic opportunities. They also helped bring visibility to rural women’s contributions, which had often been overlooked in formal economic planning. . By 1990, the programme had gained significant national momentum, with state First Ladies actively involved in implementation at the local level. It became both a development framework and a symbol of the era’s focus on women-centred policy. . . . . #BetterLifeProgramme #WomenEmpowerment #GrassrootsDevelopment #NigerianHistory #Nostalgia

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Monday 13 April 2026 19:43:58 GMT