National Women Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Mary Alile, has expressed readiness of the party to embark on a nationwide empowerment initiative to improve on the livelihood of women across the country.
Alile who disclosed this Tuesday in Abuja, during the APC Women New Year’s party, explained that the initiative tagged the “APC Nationwide Empowerment Programme (NEP)” is geared towards addressing the need for inclusion and elevate women in the country.
The programme which she described as a “groundbreaking endeavor” aims to uplift and transform the lives of all women, assuring that the needs and aspirations of women were being prioritized this year to ensure that no woman is left behind.
“This tour will not only allow us to connect with the people, but it will also provide us with invaluable insights and perspectives from every state. We believe that by engaging with our fellow women and citizens, we can foster a sense of empowerment and inclusivity that will drive our party’s progress,” she explained.
Alile also noted that the 774 explode initiative of the party, geared towards amplifying the voices of young women in politics as well as increase their active participation in politics will promote gender equality and inclusivity in decision-making processes.
“The initiative recognizes the significant underrepresentation of women in political spheres and seeks to address this imbalance by providing opportunities for young women to actively participate in politics at different levels.
“The 774 initiative aims to pave the way for a more diverse and representative political landscape. By applying “catch them young strategy” we want to leverage on our demographic advantage, when the 35% affirmative that we are advocating for become a reality, recruitment of women into political offices becomes easy,” she added.
The Woman Leader however, lamented the poor funding of initiatives that supports women political participation stressing that, this prevents the necessary provisions for mentorship and training of young women to grow the number in politics, as improved provision will make room for inclusion.
According to her, the lack of funding hampers the ability to provide necessary training, mentorship and resources to young women interested in politics, thereby hindering their progress and limiting the impact of advocacy efforts.
“Addressing this funding gap and allocating sufficient resources towards supporting women in politics is crucial to overcoming the existing barriers and creating a more inclusive political environment,” she stressed.
She further urged members’ collective effort to achieve greatness as APC has always thrived on the spirit of Renewed Hope, stressing that together, the party have the power to shape the nation’s destiny and create a better tomorrow for every citizen.
On her part, APC Deputy Woman Leader, Zainab Ibrahim noted that the year started on a challenging note for women, she therefore charged them to buckle up for the greater work ahead.
“2024 is going to be the progressive women’s year. We are going to have more women being appointed and nothing is going to deter us,” she stated.