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Tag: Akeredolu’s wife

  • Akeredolu’s wife, empowers 70 girls with laptops, solar system in Ibadan

    Akeredolu’s wife, empowers 70 girls with laptops, solar system in Ibadan

    A non governmental organisation, BEMORE Empowered Girls Foundation on Saturday empowered no fewer than 70 girls with laptops and home solar system in Ibadan.

    Founder of the group, wife of the late former Ondo Governor, Dr Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, charged the girls to make positive impacts in the world and among people around them.

    Speaking during the closing of the Summer Bootcamp organised by the NGO, Anyanwu-Akeredolu said there was a connection between Gender Based Violence (GBV) and poverty stressing the need for girls to be empowered so they can be financially independent.

    She said women should be concerned and work towards eliminating feminised poverty that breeds violence at home and on the streets.

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    She reiterated the importance of aligning with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by UN member states in 2015, a shared blue print for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. 

    She said: “At the hearts of these 17 SDGs are an urgent call for action by all countries- developed and developing in a global partnership. 

    “They recognise that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand in hand with strategies that improve health and education.

    “And reduce inequality and spur economic growth- all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forest.”

    She decried low awareness and programmes on SDGs despite having offices and political appointments on SDGs.

    “In BEMORE, we understood the role of SDGs and the benefits accruable if it could be implemented. 

    “That was why SDGs are like a jingle in BEMORE Summer Bootcamp since its inception in 2017,” she added.

    She charged the participants of 2024 BEMORE Oyo to step down the training to other girls who were unable to attend.

    The Chairman of the occasion and Vice-Chancellor, Dominican University, Prof Jacinta Opara charged the girls to put the training into good use and contribute to the development of the world. 

    “Remember you are the architect of your future and the world is full of opportunities and based on the skills acquired here there is no limit to what you can do,” Opara said.

    Oyo Commissioner of Police Sonubi Ayodele, represented by Assistant Commissioner of Police, Abayomi Akinpelu, commended the organiser of the programme adding that it was crucial to the development of the country.

    According to him, investing in the youths is a strategic means of security the future and engendering bright future for the nation.

  • I didn’t pay Akeredolu’s wife to become Commissioner – Obe

    I didn’t pay Akeredolu’s wife to become Commissioner – Obe

    Ondo State Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Rasaq Obe, has denied allegations that he paid huge sums of money to be nominated as commissioner under late Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.

    Obe was the commissioner who raised the alarm that late Akeredolu’s signature was being forged after he said he hired forensic experts.

    A former Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties and Strategies to Akeredolu, Doyin Odebowale, had asked Obe, in an interview, to tell the world how much was paid to Akeredolu’s wife, Betty, and son, Babajide, for him to be made a commissioner.

    Odebowale said Obe was a nobody politically until Betty and Babajide submitted his name to be made commissioner.

    Obe, in a phone chat with, said he led the battle for Akeredolu to emerge victorious in Ilara Mokin ward in Ifedore local government area in the 2020 governorship election.

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    Obe stated that Akeredolu decided to reward Ilara Mokin for the performances at the polls.

    He also denied allegations that he had quarrel with Babjide over supply of diesel in the state.

    In his reaction, Obe said Odebowale was part of the cabal that held the state budget performance down when Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa was acting governor.

    Obe said he joined politics as a multi-millionaire, having worked and retired in ExxonMobil.

    The commissioner said he had planned not to collect salary as a commissioner but was cautioned against such decision.

    He said Odebowale was part of the persons that benefitted from the illness of Akeredolu.

    Obe stated: “I supported Akeredolu and gave him all assistance in 2020. I followed him through the campaigns so it is not true to say I was a nobody politically. There was no need to pay the First Lady or her son for me to be made commissioner.

    “It is unfortunate that Odebowale is making this vituperations days after the passing of Akeredolu.

    “There was nothing to quarrel about between Babajide and I. I never supplied diesel to any part of the state.”

    On the issue of forgery of Akeredolu’s signature, Obe said petitions have been sent to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), adding that the concerned persons would soon be invited.

    Obe stated that the country would be seen as a banana Republic if nobody was prosecuted and punished for forging late Akeredolu’s signature.

    He said: “Let us bury Akeredolu. The gate of justice will be opened. The political solution and the advise to unify the party as advised by Tinubu does not include forgery. Forgery of a Governor’s signature and authorisation of millions of naira are too criminal to be ignored.

    “The individual doing all the forgery must be produced. Some of us were harassed. They hated me because I punctuated their activities. It is when the new Governor open the books, you will know the extent of damage.”

  • Akeredolu’s wife seeks inclusion of women in policy-making

    ONDO State governor’s wife Mrs. Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu has argued the need for inclusion of women in policy-making for a better nation.

    Anyanwu-Akeredolu spoke yesterday during a stakeholders’ meeting on the 63rd Session of United Nations (UN) Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW 63) in Akure.

    UNCSW 63, the largest  UN’s gathering on gender equality, took place at the UN headquarters in New York between March 11 to  22, 2019, with the theme: “Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and empowerment of women and girls”.

    She said any society aiming for progress, recognition and relevance among comity of nations must carry its womenfolk along with equal treatment with their male counterparts.

    “Exclusion of women in policy-making is a waste of human resources because this world is shared 50/50.

    “You don’t neglect integral part of your population and expect success and progress.

    “Therefore, our men should stop behaving that they are only one with sense and knowledge,” she cautioned.

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    Mrs. Anyanwu-Akeredolu said women should use their voting strength to put more women in the legislative houses and positions of authority, urging stakeholders to allow reasonable and encouraging representation of women.

    She reiterated her stance that any government that was serious about lifting its women from obscurity, ignorance and poverty must endeavour to provide opportunities for empowerment and equip them with the requisite knowledge.

    According to her, there should be concerted efforts to encourage women and get them engaged in productive ventures and skills acquisition relevant to their immediate environment so that they would not rely on men for survival.

    “FOWOSO is paving way in Ondo State and the impact is evidenced-based with tremendous successful outcomes.

    “We have empowered over 2000 women and youth and free medical services at all FOWOSO empowerment outreaches together with breast cancer awareness to over 20,000 people in the local government areas and we appreciate the state government for being a dependable ally and for its supportive roles,” she stated.

    Mrs. Akeredolu enjoined participation of girls in ICT in becoming information technological leaders.

    The chairman of the occasion, Prof. Ibiyinka Ogunlade, applauded Mrs. Anyanwu-Akeredolu for being a good representative in the UN session for womenfolk.

    Ogunlade said the forum would come up with decisions and moves that would gear up women advancement.

  • Akeredolu’s wife laments gender inequality

    •Indigent pregnant women get maternity kits

    ONDO State Governor’s wife Mrs Betty Akeredolu has identified gender inequality as the bane of the country’s growth.

    She noted that, though, gender equality is a great catalyst for sustainable development, women keep living as second class citizens in a male-dominated Nigeria.

    Mrs Akeredolu, who spoke in Akure, the state capital, during the 2019 International Women’s Day lecture, noted that the inequality lapses was the reason why the country has not made substantial progress.

    At the event, maternity kits running into several thousands of Naira were distributed to expectant mothers from across the state.

    The founder,Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria (BRECAN) said gender parity gap was even worse in developing countries, where cultural norms and traditions spelt out well-constructed gender-biased system.

    However, she noted that to change the narrative, effort should be made towards empowering women.

    She said the Forum of Wives of Ondo State Officials and Female Political Appointees (FOWOSO) has been working to improve the socio-economic status of women.

    She added that thousands of women across the state 18 local government areas have been empowered with skills acquisition, empowerment items and health information.

    Mrs. Akeredolu, however, maintained that the quest for gender equality was not the responsibility of women alone.

    She said: “We must all take our stand against traditions and norms that discriminate against women.”

    Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Governor on Women Affairs Mrs. Titi Adeyemi called for equal opportunities for women to participate in decision-making.

    Mrs. Adeyemi noted that the 2018 International Women Day was unique in the state because of innovations of public lecture and distribution of maternity kits to indigent expectant mothers across the 18 local government areas.

    The lecture, entitled: “Inspiring women for greater inclusion”, was delivered by Prof. (Mrs.) Helen Ogunsuyi of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA).

     

     

  • Akeredolu’s wife, monarch, others for breast cancer walk

    Ondo State Governor’s wife, Mrs Betty Anyanwu – Akeredolu, Elegushi of Ikaate Kingdom, Oba Saheed Elegushi, Popular Nollywood Actress, Ngozi Nwosu amongst several other dignitaries will tomorrow hold a jog to create awareness against the menace of breast cancer amongst African women with the theme: Let us Beat Breast Cancer Together

    The event, powered by Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria (BRECAN) kicks off at 7am at Admiralty Roundabout, Lekki,  will terminate at Leisure Sports Park situated in Ikate Elegushi in the commercial city of Lagos.

    The JOG, according to a statement made available to News Men on Thursday by BRECAN, is being organized to commemorate the month of October, recognized by World Health Organization (WHO) as the Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

    BRECAN, founded by Mrs Akeredolu in 1997, host its yearly JOG FOR LIFE event since 1998 and this tradition continues till this date.

    Several dignitaries including Governors, First Ladies, Ministers, Captains of Industry, Top Religion Leaders, First Class Traditional Rulers, Entertainers and other dignitaries have participated in the previous JOGFORLIFE event in the last 20 years.

    The JOGFORLIFE event will feature an American Flag Football exhibition match facilitated by two teams in the newly flagged off Shitsuke Flag Football league in Nigeria called The TROGONS and The GIDRONS.

    The GIDRONS and friends will be playing for Team BRECAN and The TROGONS will be representing Team Elegushi.

    The event will also feature free health Services such as Blood Pressure examination, Cancer Screening, HIV Test and other activities such asParticipants and members of the public willing to grace the event are enjoined to put on sports wares with colour pink.

  • Akeredolu’s wife advises women on financial status

    Wife of Ondo State Governor, Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu has advised women to be productive help mates to their husbands by improving their financial status.

    Mrs Akeredolu spoke at Ode-Irele during the 10th Forum for Wives of Ondo State Officials  (FOWOSO) where women and youths who had been trained in different skills were empowered.

    The event took place at Methodist Primary School, Ode-Irele.

    The  event was a platform for participants who had been trained in different life-changing skills such as shoe and bag making, bead making, make-up and household items, among others to receive start-up kits.

    Some women who had undergone training in tailoring and hairdressing but could not start up something on their own due to financial challenges received sewing machines and hair dryers.

    Those who had not acquired any skills were given grinding machines as a means of earning a living.

    Students also received laptops to aid their learning, even as wheelchairs were equally distributed to some physically-challenged people.

    Mrs Akeredolu said FOWOSO was all about women empowerment, adding that women should take advantage of the skills acquisition programme provided by the forum to improve their financial status.

    According to her, the forum was established to provide opportunities for the less-privileged people as part of efforts to contribute to the socio-economic development of the state.

    While calling on members to continue to be approachable partners in their various constituencies, Mrs Akeredolu said: “We, as wives of political office holders, are privileged because our husbands are in positions of authorities and we should deploy our positions for the development of the state.

    “As women, we are more approachable to the people in our constituencies due to our nature. Our goal is to make every woman productive through skills acquisition so that they can contribute to the economic development of their homes and the society they live in.”

    Mrs Akeredolu noted that the formation of FOWOSO was to improve the living standard of women and make them relevant in the scheme of things.

    The Chairperson of Irele Local Government Area, Mrs Mercy Odimayo thanked Mrs Akeredolu for her efforts at improving the lives of women and children.

    She observed that within the short period of introducing FOWOSO empowerment programme, lives of many women and children have been transformed positively. She urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the opportunity to improve their lives.

    The Regent of Irele Kingdom (High Chief Gbogunro) HRH Oloruntusin Mesagan appreciated Mrs Akeredolu for the training and empowerment programme.

    The monarch urged her to plead with the state government on their behalf to rehabilitate Ode – Irele roads.

     

  • Akeredolu’s wife seeks support for NGO’s funding

    The wife of Ondo State governor and the founder of Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria (BRECAN), Mrs. Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, has called for citizen-driven support for women living with the breast cancer through the BRECAN Crowdfunding initiative.

    The governor’s wife spoke at Ibadan Golf Club Cancer Awareness Tournament.

    She gave the reason for the association’s adoption of Crowdfunding as an alternative to saving the lives of breast cancer patients.

    Mrs Anyanwu-Akeredolu said the treatment of 10 women had been funded through the initiative.

    The N200 million BRECAN’s Crowdfunding initiative, launched last year by the governor’s wife, is meant for funding the treatment of women living with breast cancer through modest contributions from concerned citizens.

    Mrs. Anyanwu-Akeredolu told the gathering that since the adoption of crowd-funding in Ondo State, many affected women had been coming out and seeking financial assistance.

    The governor’s wife said the core aim of BRECAN is advocacy and creating awareness, adding that it realised that awareness was not enough.

    According to her, through crowd-funding, BRECAN is in a position to fund cancer-related surgeries, among other things.

    She said: “We had to figure out what to do because we have discovered that awareness is no longer enough. When a woman discovers she has breast cancer, we should be prepared because quite a number of women are in need. If we can’t fund everything, we can still fund surgeries instead of saying we don’t have money.

    “In Ondo State, we are about 3 million people and if one million people give N200 each, we will have N200 million. Crowdfunding has gained currency. Today, we have funded about 10 women’s treatment through crowdfunding. We have now extended it to Oyo, Imo, Abuj,a among others.

    “When breast cancer knocks at the door of a family, that family is never the same again; the family becomes devastated. Breast cancer is a bloody sucker of income.”

     

  • Why Ondo women should embrace agric, by Akeredolu’s wife

    Wife of Ondo State governor, Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, has championed the cause of women venturing into agriculture to build the gender inequality in the sector.

    At the Babafunke Ajasin Memorial Hall in Akure during a stakeholders meeting, Mrs Akeredolu regretted that despite women’s more invest on the farm, compared to men, they still received the least gain.

    She said: “This is totally unacceptable, and we must make conscientious effort to ensure that women in agriculture gain what corresponds to the effort they put into farming.

    “Supporting women in agriculture is not only enough, we must also ensure the survival of our children. No one debates the fact that mothers are the primary care givers in the home.

    “When a woman in Agricultural sector is supported, she will, in addition to being economically empowered, raise well-nourished children. As we all know, malnourished children will be retarded in growth, unable to learn and be at the risk of many health challenges.”

     

  • Akeredolu’s wife gets award for breast cancer advocacy

    A WIFE of Ondo State governor Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu has been given a high level recognition award for her effort at raising awareness on breast cancer challenge among women.

    She got the recognition at the Global Health Catalyst (GHC) summit at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts in the United States of America.

    The GHC is a premier yearly event designed to catalyse high impact international collaboration to eliminate global health disparities with main focus on cancer and related diseases.

    Mrs. Anyanwu-Akeredolu has recorded great achievements on the global challenge of breast cancer and the need to make women realise the fact that breast cancer ailment is not a death knell.

    She said women should talk about it collectively, and patients must resolve not to die of the ailment.

     

  • FOWOSO: Akeredolu’s wife rallies Ondo women

    As part of efforts to develop and execute programmes that will build capacity in women in Ondo State, wife of Ondo State Governor, Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu has launched the Forum of Wives of Ondo State Officials (FOWOSO). The forum will celebrate the impact of women and create equal opportunity with their male counterparts.

    Women in politics from the 18 local government areas decked in assorted ankara fabrics converged on the MKO Abiola Democracy Park, Akure venue of the event to celebrate the great works and impact of women in the society.

    Mrs Akeredolu, who is also the founder of the Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria (BRECAN), initiated the formation of FOWOSO.

    At the MKO Abiola Democracy Park, Akure, venue of the inauguration, Mrs Akeredolu said:

    “We aim to advocate and create equal opportunity for the women and ensure they are prepared to take charge when called upon.”

    She noted that for many years, the impact of women has been restricted to the home, solely limited to social and domestic value, even as she recalled that in the late 19th Century, women began to challenge the notion, having realised they could contribute to the society economically and politically.

    According to her, the breakthrough began first in Europe and spread to America and Asian, Arab and African countries, slowly embracing it more in the 20th and 21st centuries.

    She maintained that there is still much segregation and inequality in the society, with many still believing and insisting that a woman’s role predominantly belongs in the home and with men retaining control over what or where women can work.

    Her words: “As we know, only 50 per cent of working age women are represented in the labour force globally, compared to 76 per cent of men and we still have more men employed than women, especially in skilled labour despite women outnumbering men in population statistics and life span.

    “We must empower women educationally, support them financially and build them in skills. As we know, once a woman is empowered, her home is empowered and this creates a new amiable home which impacts the society positively.

    Mrs Akeredolu noted that FOWOSO will remain for long even after her exit from office.

    She said: “We owe it to our children and their children to ensure that they are effectively developed to take up the challenge and be impacted in the economy.

    “We have to play our part in preparing our women to be effective leaders in the economic sector of the society.”

    The Chairman of the occasion and Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Dr Ayoade Folasade Arike urged Akeredolu’s government to pay adequate attention to the welfare of women and children.

    The governor pointed out that the state government should allow women to bridge the gap between it and the citizens.

    Bello praised the achievements already recorded by the Akeredolu’s administration within the past few months in office.

    In his remarks, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu hailed his wife’s initiative in establishing FOWOSO, which, according to him, would ensure success for women.

    Items such as grinding machines, dryers, sewing machines and cash gifts were distributed to women across the 18 local government areas.

    Some of the dignitaries that attended the event were wife of Edo State Governor, Mrs Betty Obaseki and wife of former Governor in the state, Mrs Grace Onyearugbulem, among others.