The First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu on Wednesday, gave out local fabric materials to the Forum of 36 State Women Leaders of the All Progressives Congress and the Federal Capital Territory.
Tinubu said it was part of the Renewed Hope Initiative for their support.
The First Lady, who was represented by Hajia Nana, the wife of Vice President Kashim Shettima, and her team made the donation at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja.
The delegation comprised the spouse of the Speaker for the House of Representatives, Fatima Abbas; the wife of the Senate President, Ekaette Akpabio; the wife of the Chief of Staff, Salamatu Gbajabiamila and wives of several ministers in the current administration.
The donation comes barely one week after the women leaders expressed concerns that the administration of President Bola Tinubu had abandoned them despite their contribution to his election victory.
The aggrieved women led by the forum President, Patricia Yakubu, tabled their complaints before the National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, lamenting that all they individually benefited after the 2023 general election were one bag of rice and a paper wrapper.
But donating the bales of wrappers on Wednesday, Shettima praised the First Lady, who she claimed has been in the vanguard of promoting inclusiveness and women empowerment in the party.
The vice president’s wife also stressed that the donation was meant for APC women who are into the fabric business.
She said, “I am here representing the wife of our president, Senator Oluremi Tinubu. Your Excellency, the mother of the nation asked me to extend her greetings to everyone and to offer a few words of encouragement. I must say that I am one of the beneficiaries of her generosity because, during the crisis of Boko Haram, Her Excellency was one of the first set of senators who came to my state to condole with the people of Borno State.
“Sincerely, the little present we came with today is to support our APC women leaders who are into the fabrics business. Probably, the quantity might not be to your expectations. But I urge you to take it in good faith and be assured that more of these programmes are on the way.
“My appeal to all of us here is to be our sister’s keepers. No matter what, let us appreciate one another. We all know it is easy to destroy but very difficult to build. To Mr President, I believe he is also a gender-friendly person like the First Lady. He has given so many opportunities to women as ministers and head of MDAs in his government.”
Welcoming the delegation, the National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Ganduje, applauded the First Lady’s gesture, saying he has no doubt it was in furtherance of Mr President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Ganduje said, “So, this is a good omen to improve the financial status of our women. I am happy to hear that this programme is for women who are already in the fabric business. Their businesses had been down due to the present global economic challenge.
“This programme will serve as an asset because it will increase their goods and when they sell, they can buy more wrappers to shore up their businesses. I want to advise those who are in charge of this programme that the First and Second Ladies (of Nigeria) have done their own.
“What is left is for you to be honest, transparent and nationalistic so that these wrappers will get to the target group. Secondly, don’t charge anything including transport fare on these wrappers. They were given free and you should also give them free.”
