By Bassey Udo
A new group, the New Dawn for Women and Community Intervention Initiative (NEWOMCII), on Tuesday unveiled in Àbuja with the mission to bridge the socio-economic gap for women and youth across Nigeria.
The unveiling was at the official launch of
the group’s published works to highlight its success stories since inception, articulate the vision, and forge partnerships to promote its impact on the lives of rural women.
In her welcome address, NEWOMCII National Coordinator, Hajia Saadati Bokane Adamu, said the unveiling of the publication signals the group’s readiness to transition from a startup phase to a national player in Nigeria’s NGO landscape.
The event, which drew an audience of royal fathers, government stakeholders, and development partners, served as a rallying cry for structured, grassroots-driven empowerment.
The Founder and Chairman of NEWOMCII, Alhaji Bolaji Raji, described the organisation’s birth as a direct response to the “unseen potential” locked within Nigeria’s local communities.
Reflecting on the rationale behind the initiative, Alhaji Raji noted that while talent was abundant at the grassroots level, the infrastructure to support it was often non-existent.
“We saw the gap. We saw the need,” Raji stated. “A simple but powerful reality inspired the birth of NEWOMCII. Across our communities, many women and young people possess immense potential, yet lack access to the tools and support systems needed to succeed,” he said.
NEWOMCII, he said, was designed to complement government efforts rather than replace them, serving as a catalyst for practical, demand-driven capacity building.
Unlike many organizations that focus on theoretical advocacy, Raji said NEWOMCII has already been operational for ten months, refining its approach to community intervention.
The initiative’s strategy, he said, was built on four core pillars of agribusiness; art and creative enterprise; skills development, and community interventions.
“When women are empowered, families thrive, and communities progress. This belief is not just a statement—it is a proven pathway to sustainable development,” the NEWOMCII Founder said.
In her welcome address, NEWOMCII National Coordinator, Hajia Saadati Bokane Adamu, said since its inception, it has impacted the lives of rural women in several ways.
“In the short period of existence, we have positively affected the lives and livelihoods of several women groups and communities,” Hajia Adamu said, pledging to replicate these successes nationwide.
She expressed gratitude for the robust attendance, urging stakeholders to collaborate and work together with the group to continue toimpact the lives of women and communities.
In the first keynote address, Managing Partner, Liberty Law Firm, Monrovia, Tupee Enid Taylor, described women as drivers of transformation whose ability to fulfill their potential was limited by lack of access and support.
The former Liberian first lady said across the African continent, the simple truth understood by all was that “when a woman is empowered, her family is strengthened, and her communities prosper.”
“Women are not just participants in development; they are drivers of transformation and lasting change. Yet, despite their immense contributions, many women, especially at the grassroots, were continually faced with barriers such as limited access to finance, lack of opportunities and infrastructure, restricted opportunities for growth, lack of required support, and cultural norms. These are not just challenges; they are missed opportunities for all nations,” she said.
“What we see today across our communities is not a lack of diversity, it is a lack of access. Women are working, women are creating, and women are building. But without the right support system, these efforts cannot reach their full potential,” she adde.
The Director General, National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPPS), Prof. Ayo Omotayo, in his address said women were strategic to the development of any society.
“We must change the narrative from seeing women as vulnerable to seeing them as a source of strategic human value. When we invest in a woman, we are not just performing social work. We are making a high-growth economic investment that exceeds maybe the maximum tax we have set,” he said.
The Director General, who was represented by Zubairu Jide Attah, urged NEWOMCII not to rest on its oars, but strive to establish its footprint across Nigeria.
“Do not let this momentum, the momentum of this launch, fade,” he added.