2023: Tambuwal woos PDP Women says his presidency will give women special recognition

By Folorunso Alagbede, Abuja

Sokoto State governor, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal has taken his Presidential consultative meeting to PDP women, assuring them that his presidency will surpass the 35 percent slot for women contained in the constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Tambuwal, a former Speaker of the House of Representative, charged the PDP to lobby their fellow women, children and husbands to key into his presidential ambition.

The Sokoto State Governor and Chairman PDP Governors’ Forum reveed that he has appointed four female permanent secretaries, has several female directors, ensured that every local government produced three female councilors, established three world class Girls Science Academy, signed the Violence Against Women Act and ordered the establishment of Female Education Board for the promotion of girls child education in Sokoto State.

Tambuwal made the disclosure at the Sokoto State governor’s lodge, Abuja, during his consultative meeting with PDP Women leaders from across the states led by the National Woman leader Prof. Stella Effah-Attoe.

In his address, Tambuwal told the women that he has always had special place for women when he was the Speaker of the House of Representatives, stressing that the number of women that emerged as committee Chairmen were more than the recommended 35 percent affirmative action.

He went further to unveil other special interventions for the female gender in Sokoto.

His words, “When I came on board, there was only one female permanent secretary, today we have four. There was never a time we had women councilors in the state, today in each local government, we have three.

“When it comes to party issues, we have complied with the constitutional provisions of our party of 35% of women in the state exco, 35% of women in each of the 33 local government exco and 35% of women in each of the 244 election wards”, he said.

The governor said that he also made girls child education a priority and walked the talk with the establishment of an agency to take care of girl child education.

According to him, “We sent a second batch of students to Ukraine and Sudan, 200 students to go and study medical sciences, 35% to 40% of them are girls. I stated this story to give you an idea of the deal that will be coming to the Nigerian women when, by the grace of God, we form government of the PDP in 2023 and by his grace under my leadership.

“We established the first female education board in the state with a mandate to promote girl child education.

“We are establishing three very solid Girls Science Academy, one in each of the senatorial districts of the state with a capacity to take 2,500 girls in boarding houses”.

Tambuwal further told his guests that women empowerment was an area he paid special attention.

In his words, “We have a scheme in the state where we give N20,000 to 1,000 beneficiaries in each local government, 50% are women not 35%.

“When we gave out N2 billion loan to traders, we ensured that 35% were reserved for women. In all we do, we make sure that we look after women interests and women issues”.

The health care sector, according to the governor, has a huge consideration for the woman folk.

He said, “We have free maternal and antenatal care services in all our general hospitals and we give priority to our girls that are in the university and tertiary institutions.

“In sokoto, we are one of the states that have passed the Violence Against Women Act”.

The Presidential aspirant also did not forget to give his scorecard while he was the speaker of the House of Representatives.

According to him, “While I was the Speaker of the House of Representatives, for the first time a woman was the chairperson of the committee on Foreign Affairs, we had a woman as Chairperson Committee on Aviation, we had a woman as the chairperson of the committee on Due Process and we had a woman as the chairperson House Committee on Diaspora, Hon. Abike Dabiri. We had a woman that was the Chairperson of the House Committee on Environment.

“I can assure you that we exceeded the 35% quota for women, serving in the leadership of committees in the House of Representatives because of our conviction that our women can do even better.

“I assure you that we have a very serious respect and consideration for the women folk and we believe in your capacities”.

Tambuwal said that he decided to consult the PDP women leaders knowing full well that they can influence not only themselves and their fellow women, but their husbands and sons to buy into his presidential ambition.

Responding, the PDP National Woman leader, Prof Stella Effah-Attoe expressed excitement over the privileges he has extended to women.

She demanded to visit the state with her team so that most of those legacy achievements could form part of the party’s campaign tool and documentary.

Her words, “We would want you Sir, as a PDP governor aspiring to be the President of our great party, to avail the PDP women leadership the opportunity to visit some of these women academies, not necessarily for your campaign purposes but we the PDP women, we want to use it to fly the flag of the party and what our party is doing through its governors.

“We would want to use it because we are all talking about the girl child education.

“Power belongs to God, God alone knows what he wants to do, but God willing, if it goes the way of your heart desire, we the PDP women leaders have seen the kind of heart you have for women through your activities, through what you have placed on ground, that you are a personality that appreciates womanhood and we will not forget that”.