By Philomina Attah
Mr Christopher Maikalangu, Chairman, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), has urged women in the FCT to mobilise for the 2027 general elections.
Maikalangu made the call on Tuesday in Abuja at the launch of the L.A.D.D.E.R Initiative, a women-focused empowerment programme.
The programme was organised by the Office of the Special Adviser on Women Affairs to the AMAC chairman.
L.A.D.D.E.R stands for Leadership, Advocacy, Development, Digital Access, Enterprise and Resilience.
The initiative is designed to provide women across AMAC’s 12 wards with access to finance, leadership opportunities, digital tools and safety nets.
Speaking with newsmen, Maikalangu said the administration of President Bola Tinubu had performed well for the people of the FCT.
“What we are seeing here is just an empowerment programme for our women, and I am giving them a message on this coming election.
“This is the only administration that has done well for the good people of FCT.
“As I always say, this is the first time we are having our own son in the Federal Executive Council meeting, that’s Jisalo,” he said.
He added that the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, had delivered massive road infrastructure across rural communities.
“On that note, I have a message for you. I want to make sure they come out in their numbers to ensure we vote the President in 2027.
“And we are going to bring back our own, Philip Aduda, to the Senate,” he said.
On women’s inclusion in governance, Maikalangu said his administration could not succeed without women.
“If we don’t bring women in our cabinet, we will not get it right. Women are the backbone of our society.
“I know their strength. That’s why I have women in my cabinet. I have so many of them as SAs. I don’t do without women,” he said.
Earlier, Ms Loveth Izekor, Special Adviser on Women Affairs to the AMAC chairman, said the initiative was designed to reach women at the grassroots.
“Women are the centre of it all. Women are powerful, women are courageous and when women unite, man can move.
“This particular gathering is a meeting of all women stakeholders in AMAC who have come together to deliberate on issues.
“This event has created an opportunity for us to interact one-on-one with them and hear directly the issues that the Area Council needs to look into,” she said.
Izekor said the initiative was being implemented in collaboration with an NGO to promote development and capacity building among rural women.
She said the L.A.D.D.E.R Initiative was designed as a long-term platform for transforming micro-entrepreneurs into sustainable business owners.
According to her, the initiative will also transform community advocates into decision-makers and local initiatives into council-wide impact.
“Together, we are building an inclusive, resilient and economically vibrant AMAC where no woman is left behind,” she said.
On supporting a male candidate for the Senate, Izekor said she believed in capacity and merit rather than gender considerations.
“I am someone who has always believed in capacity, in merit, what you can offer.
“I always tell my gender, don’t think because you’re a woman you expect other women to rally around you.
“If you have what it takes, the women will support you, even before the men. I am supporting any human that has the capacity to deliver,” she said.
Also speaking, Dr Adaora Onyechere, Executive Director, Gender Strategy Advancement International, described the launch as historic.
Onyechere, who is a mentor to the Special Adviser, said the initiative represented empowerment, access and capacity building for vulnerable women.
“I am delighted to be the mentor of the SA to the AMAC Chairman on gender affairs.
“It is a privilege for me to witness history in the making as she launches the L.A.D.D.E.R initiative.
“This speaks to empowerment, access, capacity, and reaching women whose lives are at the barest minimum,” she said.
Onyechere said grassroots governance remained the ultimate form of governance and commended AMAC for adopting a bottom-to-top approach.
She said: “What the L.A.D.D.E.R initiative speaks to is a leadership catered from the bottom-to-the-top approach.
“Listening to the AMAC chairman, you can see deliberate efforts to also include women within the economic ecosystem. Elections will come and go, but institutions will remain.
“Beginning this cycle of initiative even before election has commenced shows a government that is not just bothered about numbers at election, but about people power at the grassroots.” (NAN)
Edited by Kamal Tayo Oropo