J. Archibong
Dame Patience Jonathan enjoyed a high international standing among her peers, who commended her for the great work she was doing in Nigeria.
Meeting with Cherie Blair
Dame Patience Jonathan hosted Mrs. Cherie Blair, the wife of former British Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair. At the launch she organized in honour of Mrs. Blair, she praised her guest for uplifting women and improving their entrepreneurial capacity through her NGO “Cherie Blair Foundation for Women.”
While hailing Cherie Blair over women’s empowerment, Dame Patience Jonathan has stressed the need for dedication and determination in the efforts to empower women. She said that although gender issues remained sensitive, it was possible to achieve success.
She told Mrs. Blair that her NGOs had trained about 4,000 women and youths in various skills and vocations, which have made them self-reliant and able to make their contribution to national growth.
Meeting with the First Lady of China
Dame Patience Jonathan informed the First Lady of China, Peng Liyuan, that she was committed to the effective participation of women in the socio-economic and political development of Nigeria, and that, through her NGOs, there were, for the first time, more women in elective and appointive positions in government.
The First Lady was of the strong conviction that when women and youths were educated, empowered economically, and given a say, they could make meaningful and substantial contributions to the development of their societies.
Her outstanding achievement in empowering women and bringing succor to the socially disadvantaged people received acclaim and commendation in faraway China. The First Lady of that country, Peng Liyuan, lauded Dame Patience Jonathan for her untiring efforts at poverty alleviation, gender equality, and women’s empowerment through the A. Aruera Reachout Foundation and Women for Change and Development Initiative.
Nigeria’s First Lady’s Campaign for appointive and elective positions for women in government received specific acknowledgement and commendation of Lady Peng Liyuan, which was also in line with the 35 percent affirmative programme of action.
Meeting with Mrs. Obama
Along with the spouses of other Heads of state and Government, Dame Patience Jonathan made a historic visit to Stone Barns Centre, a non-profit farm and education centre in Pocantico Hills, New York, at the request of Michelle Obama, the First Lady of the United States.
During a farm-based education program, third-grade children from JFK Magnet School and Pocantino Hills Central School toured the farm with Mrs. Obama, who also hosted Nigeria’s First Lady. The purpose of the visit was to present America’s new food production strategy to the visiting First Ladies.
Children, farmers, chefs, and thousands of visitors each year are all taught how to use diverse community farms to produce food that is better for the environment and for people at Stones Barns Centre. Among the several activities the students participated in were gathering eggs and harvesting vegetables. Later, they made the First Ladies a meal that was fresh from the farm. In addition to raising laying hens, broiler chickens, turkeys, lambs, pigs, and bees, farmers at the Stone Barns cultivate more than 200 types of produce throughout the year.
Dame Patience Jonathan praised the center’s administration for their efforts to establish a sustainable and healthy structure. The activities at the Stones Barns Centre, she said, might open Nigeria’s eyes to new possibilities for food production.
In order to establish a sustainable food system, Mrs. Jonathan pushed for the establishment of a center similar to this one in Nigeria, where farmers would receive training on contemporary farming methods and growing practices, and she stated that such a center would be a means of promoting more food production and food sufficiency in the nation.
The First Ladies were in the United States for the United Nations General Assembly.
At First Green Women Conference
Dame Patience Jonathan attended the Maiden Green Women Conference, which addressed the roles of women in sustainable development, environmental stewardship, and climate change. She spoke at the conference, advocating for increased female involvement in climate-related decision-making and environmental preservation.
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