As the world marks the International Day of Rural Women, Muhammad Nami, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) governorship candidate for the 2027 election in Niger State, has called for urgent and decisive action to protect rural women from insecurity, displacement, poverty and the growing humanitarian crisis affecting communities across the state.
Nami said this year’s commemoration must go beyond speeches and symbolic celebrations, insisting that the true measure of commitment to rural women lies in the government’s ability to guarantee their safety, protect their livelihoods, and restore their dignity.
He expressed deep concern over the worsening security situation in Niger State, which has forced thousands of rural families from their ancestral homes, leaving women and children among the most vulnerable victims of violent attacks, kidnappings, killings and the destruction of livelihoods.
With reports from Niger State government indicating that more than 300,000 people have been displaced across 10 local government areas of Niger State, Nami said the human scale of the crisis demands immediate humanitarian intervention and a comprehensive security strategy that places the protection of rural communities at its centre.
He noted that many rural women who once sustained their families through farming, petty trading, food processing, and other agricultural activities are now living in internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps, while others have been forced to seek refuge in neighbouring communities and across international borders.
For these women, he said, the consequences of insecurity extend far beyond the loss of homes and farmlands. They include hunger, loss of income, interrupted education for their children, limited access to healthcare, exposure to gender-based violence, and the painful uncertainty of not knowing when they will return home.
“Rural women must not be forgotten in the conversation about security and development in Niger State. They are mothers, farmers, food producers, entrepreneurs, and the backbone of our rural economy. When insecurity drives them away from their farms and communities, it threatens not only their survival but also food security, family stability, and the economic future of our state,” Nami said.
He stressed that no society can achieve meaningful development when its women are forced to flee their homes, abandon their farms, and depend on humanitarian assistance to survive.
Nami called for a security framework that prioritises the protection of vulnerable rural communities, the prevention of attacks on farming settlements, the rescue of abducted persons and the restoration of peace in areas affected by banditry and terrorism.
He emphasised that rural women should be able to work on their farms, take their produce to market, access healthcare, and send their children to school without the fear of being attacked, kidnapped, or killed.
The PDP governorship candidate in the 2027 General Elections said: “My vision for Niger State is one in which no woman is forced to abandon her home because armed groups have taken control of her community; no mother has to choose between risking her life on the farm and allowing her children to go hungry; and no family is left without hope because government has failed to protect them.”
As part of his commitment to rural development, Nami outlined a people-centred approach built around the following priorities:
1. Security as a fundamental right: Strengthening community-based intelligence, improving coordination among security agencies, and ensuring timely responses to threats against rural settlements, farming communities, and vulnerable populations;
2. Safe return and resettlement: Developing a credible framework for the safe, voluntary and dignified return of displaced families to their communities when security conditions permit, alongside the reconstruction of destroyed homes, schools, healthcare facilities and other essential infrastructure;
3. Humanitarian support for displaced women: Expanding access to food, clean water, shelter, healthcare, menstrual hygiene products, and psychosocial support for women and children in IDP camps, host communities and other displacement settings;
4. Protection of agricultural livelihoods: Supporting displaced farmers with land access, seeds, fertilisers, farming equipment, and financial assistance while ensuring that returning communities can cultivate their farms and transport their produce without fear;
5. Economic empowerment and social protection: Creating opportunities for rural women through agricultural cooperatives, access to affordable credit, vocational training, and support for small businesses to help families recover from the economic consequences of displacement; and
6. Accountability and inclusive governance: Ensuring that rural women have a voice in decisions affecting their security, resettlement, and economic recovery, with transparent monitoring of public resources committed to their welfare.
The PDP gubernatorial candidate reaffirmed his commitment to pursuing a Niger State where rural women can live and work in safety, contribute fully to the state’s agricultural and economic development, and raise their children with hope for a better future, while also stressing that host communities carrying the burden of accommodating displaced families should receive adequate support to prevent additional pressure on already limited resources.
Nami concluded by paying tribute to rural women who continue to demonstrate courage and resilience despite the devastating effects of insecurity and displacement.
“On this International Day of Rural Women, I stand in solidarity with every woman who has been forced to flee her community, every mother struggling to feed her children in displacement, and every farmer who longs to return to her land. Their pain must strengthen our resolve to restore peace. Their resilience must inspire our commitment to rebuild. And their safety, dignity, and prosperity must become a priority in the future we seek for Niger State,” Nami said.