Abejide Launches N500M Empowerment To Women, Widow In Kano
A House of Representatives member, Representing Yagba Federal Constituency of Kogi State, Leke Abejide, has launched an empowerment programme worth N500 million for women and widows in Kano State, with a calls for the beneficiaries to rally round the reelection of President Bola Tinubu and Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.
Abejide explained that the intervention was part of his commitment to giving back to the people of Kano, a city he described as his home and the foundation of his success in life.
He disclosed that he arrived in Kano in February 1993 as a young boy from Alu, Yagba East Local Government Area of Kogi State, adding that the city provided him with the opportunities that shaped his business career and eventual success.
According to him, his decision to extend the empowerment programme to Kano was driven by his longstanding relationship with the people, many of whom he had known for over three decades.
Le explained that the N500 million interest-free loan scheme would support women organised into cooperative societies, with beneficiaries receiving financial assistance according to their business capacity.
He said the initiative was designed to ensure sustainable economic empowerment through a revolving loan arrangement that would enable other women to benefit after previous beneficiaries successfully repay their loans.
Abejide further disclosed that the programme covers women from eight Yoruba-speaking states, namely Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Kogi and Kwara, alongside Ebira, Igala and Bassa communities from Kogi State residing in Kano.
He assured the beneficiaries that the programme would be continuous, stressing that it was not designed as a temporary political gesture but as a sustainable intervention capable of transforming businesses and lifting families out of poverty.
The lawmaker also announced that widows captured under the programme would receive direct financial support through their bank accounts to strengthen their petty businesses, while all participating women would receive rice and six yards of printed wax fabric.
He warned beneficiaries against misusing the funds, explaining that the foundation had established monitoring mechanisms to ensure accountability and minimise defaults.
Abejide also revealed that the foundation would soon extend its empowerment initiative to youths and men in business, particularly unemployed young people, to help them become self-reliant and economically productive.
He said the foundation had already collected the names of prospective beneficiaries as preparations for the next phase of the programme continued.
Speaking on his political commitment, Abejide called on the Yoruba community and other beneficiaries in Kano to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other APC candidates in the forthcoming elections.
He expressed concern over the outcome of the 2023 presidential election in Kano, where President Tinubu secured over 500,000 votes across the state’s 44 local government areas, saying the result had challenged him to mobilise the Yoruba population in Kano for stronger political participation.
Abejide, who described himself as the Asiwaju of the Yoruba people in Kano, said arrangements were being made to appoint polling-unit coordinators among women and widows benefiting from the empowerment programme to strengthen grassroots mobilisation.
He declared his commitment to mobilising support for President Tinubu, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, APC senatorial candidates, House of Representatives candidates and State House of Assembly candidates.
The foundation chairman maintained that the empowerment initiative would also promote unity among Yoruba associations in Kano, noting that the programme had brought together different groups that previously operated separately.
He cited the foundation’s achievements in Kogi State, where it had provided free WAEC registration for more than 50,000 students and supported approximately 10,000 widows over the years.
Abejide expressed confidence that Kano, being the commercial centre of northern Nigeria, would record even greater success in the implementation of the empowerment programme.
He urged the beneficiaries to use the financial assistance judiciously, assuring them that the foundation would remain committed to improving their economic conditions.
He concluded by reaffirming his determination not to disappoint the people, describing himself as a man who keeps his promises and urging beneficiaries to reciprocate the gesture through responsible participation in the programme.
