Vera Wisdom-Bassey

The lawmaker representing Lagos Central senatorial district at the National Assembly, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, is seeking more inclusion of women in governance.

She also wants more allocation of appointments, involvement in policymaking and other aspects of leadership for the female gender at all levels of the nation’s decision-making process.

Mrs. Tinubu states this at the town hall meeting of the Lagos Central District, with the theme “Gender Equity and the Right to Economic Freedom.”

She called on women to come out and pick up forms and seek any position they were interested in.    

She noted that: “When both sexes work together, a lot of difference would be made and our nation would be best positioned to tackle most of the problems plaguing our democracy.”

She recalled that women were better managers and, since they were good in managing the home, they could effectively contribute their quota in leadership. She also lamented that the statistics of women holding public offices in the country showed that only 14, approximately 4 per cent, of the 360 members of the House of Representatives, were women. Seven, approximately 6.4 per cent, of the 109 senators were women and only five positions were conceded to women out of the 36 federal ministers. 

 Other leaders in attendance at the event were the Lagos APC chairman, Chief Henry Ajomale, and Prince Tajudeen Olusi, among others, who lauded the performance of Mrs. Tinubu in the Senate.

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“By virtue of the way and manner Mrs. Tinubu has conducted herself in the Senate, it is obvious that women could do well like their male counterparts in politics,” Ajomale said. “Men are not the greatest in politics but the women because they will always support the men rather than their follow women.”

Mrs. Tinubu also used the opportunity to donate money to widows at the event.

Over 130 widows benefited from the programme, which she said was intended to help the women with money to boost their trade or to start a small business.

The widows, who were resident in Lagos, were drawn from various ethnic groups. They received the sum of N50,000 each. Among the beneficiaries were Mrs. King Onilare, Mrs. Municatu Obakaju, Mrs. Miriam Ismail, Basiratu Musa Mohammed, Mrs. Adah Veronica and Mrs. Chigbo Julianah.

One of widows, Mrs. Ismail, while thanking the lawmaker, disclosed that she was going to invest the money in her petty business.

“It will go a long way in increasing my business and even in paying my children’s school fees,” she said.

Similarly, Mrs. Olubori, appreciated Mrs. Tinubu for her gesture and for not neglecting others around her: “She is a very humble woman who is committed to alleviating poverty among women. She gave each of us N50,000, and she has promised to give us grinding machines.”