2023 poll: Tinubu will grant women 35 percent representation in govt, says Oluremi

As the general elections draw nearer, the womenfolk have been assured of 35 percent representation at all tiers of government if the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu mounts the saddle of leadership of the country.

The assurance came from Tinubu’s wife, Senator Oluremi at the APC professionals forum symposium on renewed hope 2023 held at the Yar’Adua center Abuja.

Oluremi assured that her husband will build on the current administration’s Social Intervention Programs with greater emphasis on empowering women and youth towards lifting more families into collective wealth and prosperity.

She further stated that the Tinubu led administration will work with the National Assembly to promote greater representation of women in the government’s MDAs.

“Our goal is to have at least 35% female representation at all levels of government. We will also work towards progressively improving on the number of female lawmakers at state and national levels,” she said.

“I am a woman, and I am a beneficiary of Asiwaju’s commitment to empowering womenfolk. Although I have always been passionate about charity work and I invested greatly in women and youth development as First Lady of Lagos State, it was with the support of my dear husband that I was able to also take on political leadership roles.

“We need to institutionalize female inclusion and representation in politics and governance; this is Asiwaju’s pledge to the women of Nigeria.”

She further pledged that the incoming Tinubu/Shettima administration will focus on empowering our teeming 70 million youth through job creation and entrepreneurship support efforts and policies.

She added: “As a mother, I know that one of the biggest challenges youth face is the fear of tomorrow with its uncertainties. This often leads them to take poorly considered risks and make bad decisions.

“As parents, it is our job to create the right environment for our wards to flourish, to grow in self-confidence, to learn to be self-sufficient, responsible, and useful members of society. This is also a key responsibility for the leadership of the nation.

“To this end, the next APC-led administration will address the issues by: Increasing opportunities and channels for easy access to credit to start businesses. The incoming administration will work with and encourage commercial banks to provide and set aside a quota of their projected credit provisioning for youth-led enterprises at appreciably low-interest-rate loans.

“We will encourage the creation of Innovation and Productivity Hubs for youth to present their ideas and have same reviewed for marketability and utility. These hubs will generate business idea validation reports which will be used in partnership with commercial banks to vet loan applications.

“Commercial banks will also be encouraged to ensure their loan application processes are simplified and that they give greater priority to young people and women with marketable ideas. This will be implemented across the federation.

“The incoming Tinubu/Shettima administration will create opportunities and channels for business mentorship for youth. The initially mentioned Innovation and Productivity Hubs will serve as incubators for intergenerational business mentoring.

“Also, the administration will seek the cooperation and volunteer services of 2 million entrepreneurs and professionals across the nation to work with young people over the course of its tenure.

“We believe this foundation will lead to critical thinking, structured reasoning, accountability, and positive personal development. These salient ingredients will empower the youth in finding employment, honing job skills and creating businesses.”