The lawmaker representing Ifako Ijaiye Constituency 1 in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adewale Temitope Adedeji, has empowered 500 widows in his constituency with packaged foodstuffs and N20,000 each.
Speaking at the 5th Edition of the programme tagged “Widows Empowerment Initiative and Financial Support in Ifako-Ijaiye Constituency 1” on Monday, Adedeji said the programme is meant to make life better for women who have lost their husbands.
Adedeji said he was happy to support and assist the beneficiaries. He promised to continue to give back to the people who voted him into office, while urging them to support the government of President Bola Tinubu.
He said, “I am happy to see you all because I know it’s not easy. I am the husband of a widow. We have promised you that we will continue to give back to those of you who voted for us into office. We are doing it to show that we learned from President Bola Tinubu.
“We have been told to go back home to enrich the grassroots, and there is no better way than to reach the widows. We are giving out foodstuffs and N20,000 each to 500 widows.
“Our intention is very simple, we must continue to give back to the people and give them succour. President Bola Tinubu is trying to make Nigeria better, and he is doing a wonderful job. He has implemented policies that are affecting the growth of the country positively. We must continue to support him.”
The lawmaker, however, enjoined the women to go for the health insurance provided by the state government. “We will give you free health insurance today.
“If you have it and it has expired, register your name, and we will renew it for you. If you have before, don’t register again, or else it will affect the system.
“Just bring your number and slip if it has expired. As a representative of the people, I believe what is important is representation, and the widows are our mothers.
“We will try our best to continue to give back to them. I understand the plight of widows, and I believe that we need to support them.”
One of the beneficiaries of the empowerment, Mrs Abosede Duduyemi, thanked Adedeji for the gesture, saying that last time, he gave them N10,000 each, and that the latest is N20,000 each and that the foodstuffs are more this time around.
She then promised that they would continue to support the lawmaker to go into office for a third term, while praying that God would continue to help him.
Another beneficiary, Mrs Grace Akingbehin, said she has been living in the Iju area for over 40 years and has been in politics for more than 30 years, but that Hon. Adedeji is doing better than others.
In his speech, the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ifako Ijaye, Banjo Omole, said they have always been careful before sponsoring people into offices, and that Hon. Adedeji has been doing much since he got into the Assembly.
Omole stated that, when he calculated the money the lawmaker was giving out, he discovered that it’s a lot, and that some people would have pocketed such money.
“Hon Adedeji would continue to make progress by doing this for the people. I have been praying for him for what he is doing. He is doing well. He did not disappoint us in Lagos State and even in Nigeria.
“I was in the House of Assembly during a public hearing on transportation, where other lawmakers commended him. He has been doing a lot for students, elders and even the party.
“On October 1, he invited me to what he wanted to do for the party. The main thing is for us to have voters’ cards so that we can vote during elections,” he said.
