Wife of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Oluremi Tinubu, has assured that his husband, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will focus on empowering 70 million youth through job creation and entrepreneurship support efforts and policies.
She spoke in Abuja on Wednesday during the second edition of symposium on dissecting the Asiwaju Manifesto tagged Renewed Hope, organised by APC Professional Forum.
She equally promised to ensure that her husband works with the National Assembly to promote greater representation of women in the government’s Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Represented by the Director General National Women Development Centre, Valita Bashir Asabe, Oluremi said: “Now, as a mother, let me also share Asiwaju’s plans for our intelligent, energetic, industrious world-beater youth. We all grew up with the popular mantra, youth are the leaders of tomorrow. This is true but the truth is not literal. Leadership is a groomed position.
“The incoming Tinubu/Shettima administration will focus on empowering our teeming 70 million youth through job creation and entrepreneurship support efforts and policies.
“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,” she noted.
On what Nigerian women should expect, she said: “We 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.
“Politically, we 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,” he promised.
Speaking further, she said: “Socially, we will fight for and defend the dignity of our women. As we did in Lagos state through the establishment of the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), we will encourage all states to institute same and combine it with the efforts of the Police Gender Units.
“We will create a safe environment via sponsored legislation to support and protect victims of domestic violence and abuse, establishment of online and offline counselling and whistleblowing platforms and the creation of safe sanctuaries nationwide.
“We will work proactively with the judiciary to ensure prompt prosecution of offenders, push for more stringent penalties for convicts and better equip our law enforcement agencies with necessary modern, forensic, and investigative tools.
“We will push for increased gender parity in education. We will ensure that the female child gets a fair chance at access to basic and post-basic education. We will promote nationwide support programs to ensure the girl child stays in school, is not exploited by circumstances, and is provided a safe environment for healthy mental, social, and physical development,” she added.
