REMI TINUBU EMPOWERS 500 CROSS RIVER WOMEN WITH CASH, GIFTS
Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has extended financial support and empowerment items to 500 market women in Cross River State as part of efforts to strengthen small businesses and mobilise grassroots support ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The empowerment exercise took place on Saturday at Watt Market in Calabar and was organised through the Women Mobilisation Directorate of the APC Presidential Campaign Council.
The First Lady was represented at the event by the Directorate’s Deputy Director and former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr Betta Edu, who said the initiative was carried out on Mrs Tinubu’s directive.
According to Edu, each of the 500 beneficiaries received ₦50,000 in cash support to help expand their businesses. Other items distributed included deep freezers, blenders and toasters.
She explained that many of the traders operate with limited capital, with some selling goods worth only ₦5,000 or ₦10,000. She said the financial support was intended to provide seed capital for them to restock, grow their businesses and improve their families’ livelihoods.
Edu also highlighted some social intervention programmes of the Tinubu administration, including the Students Loan Scheme, free maternal healthcare for pregnant women and subsidised dialysis.
She disclosed that the Calabar exercise was the first phase of the outreach in Cross River State, with similar programmes planned for Ogoja in November or December and the northern senatorial district in January 2027.
However, the programme also had a clear political mobilisation component. Edu urged residents to support President Bola Tinubu, Cross River State Governor Bassey Otu and other APC candidates in the 2027 elections.
One of the beneficiaries, Esther Bassey, a widow and mother of three from Odukpani Local Government Area, expressed appreciation for the support, saying it would help her provide for her children. She also pledged to mobilise her family to vote for the APC.
Earlier, Edu and members of the delegation visited the General Hospital in Calabar, where they donated gift items to women and children receiving treatment.
