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Tag: Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu

  • Ex-Ondo First Lady seeks Owerri zone Senate seat again

    Ex-Ondo First Lady seeks Owerri zone Senate seat again

    Former Ondo State First Lady, Dr. Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, has declared her intention to re-contest the Imo East Senatorial District seat in the upcoming elections.

    Addressing newsmen in Owerri, Imo State, she emphasised the need for robust and effective representation for the people of Owerri Zone.

    The widow of the late Governor Akeredolu lamented the perceived ineffective representation of the zone at the National Assembly, describing the current senator and members of the House of Representatives from the zone as ‘benchwarmers’.

    Dr. Anyanwu-Akeredolu who contested the primaries in 2023 under the All Progressives Congress (APC), stated that the zone deserved more than mere gestures, citing the need for meaningful empowerment, unlike what she described as ‘wheelbarrow and sewing machine’ empowerment.

    Read Also: Don’t give up on Nigeria, Akpabio urges youths

    She commended Senator Natasha Akpoti Uduagha for providing genuine empowerment to her constituents in Kogi Central District.

    The former First Lady highlighted her efforts in providing motorcycles and stipends to operatives of a vigilante group in her hometown, Emeabiam Community, and attracting a police station to the area to curb insecurity.

    Despite challenges following her husband’s passing, Dr. Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu remains steadfast, pledging to tirelessly serve the people of Owerri Zone.

    She expressed her concerns about the lack of government presence in her community particularly lack of accessible roads, attributing it to lack of capable representatives.

  • Former Ondo First Lady urges female lawmakers to champion maternal health reforms

    Former Ondo First Lady urges female lawmakers to champion maternal health reforms

    Former First Lady of Ondo State, Dr. (Mrs.) Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, has urged female lawmakers in the 10th National Assembly to prioritise legislation that guarantees full funding, accountability, and effective monitoring of maternal health services in Nigeria.

    In an open letter dated September 4, 2025, and forwarded to The Nation, she expressed grief over the tragic case of an Abuja woman who lost her twins after being denied care at multiple hospitals.

    Anyanwu-Akeredolu blamed Nigeria’s high maternal mortality rate on inadequate funding and lack of accountability in the health sector. 

    She called on female senators and representatives, including Ireti Heebah Kingibe, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Mariam Onuoha, Kafilat Ogbara, and others, to urgently address the crisis.

    Read Also: Ondo First Lady praises Aiyedatiwa’s visionary leadership, women empowerment drive

    She tasked them with ensuring that no hospital turns away women in labor, pushing for stronger legislation to secure maternal health funding, exercising oversight over state and local governments to improve primary healthcare, and rallying support for the Constitution Alteration Bill 2024 (HB 1349) to increase women’s representation in parliament.

    “Representation without impact is meaningless. Nigerian women deserve leaders who will speak and act decisively to protect them. History will not be kind to silence,” she warned.

  • Ex-Ondo First Lady celebrates 27 years of surviving cancer

    Ex-Ondo First Lady celebrates 27 years of surviving cancer

    A former First Lady of Ondo state, Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, has celebrated her 27th year of surviving breast cancer.

    Mrs. Akeredolu who turned 71 on Sunday, July 21, also celebrated the 68th posthumous birthday of her late husband and former Ondo Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.

    In a post on her official X handle, the former Ondo First Lady wrote, “Posthumous Celebration of Aketi, the LOVE of my LIFE @ 68.

    Aketi is no longer here with me physically but he lives in my heart eternally.”

    She also shared a post of her 71st birthday and her 27th year of surviving breast cancer.

    To help raise awareness on breast cancer, she founded the Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria (BRECAN).

    Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress in Ondo state celebrated the former governor’s 68th birthday by recalling many of the landmark achievements recorded in the state.

    Read Also: Ondo 2024: Defections won’t deter us, says PDP

    It said the achievements included the creation of a security network codename Amotekun to protect residents of the state from invaders, an aggressive drive for industrialisation of the state, the first dualised road in Akoko land, besides bringing down Oke Alabojuto that had caused so very costly accidents in the past years amongst many others.

    Late Akeredolu died on December 27th December, 2023 after months of fierce battle with prostate cancer.

  • 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.

    Read also: Why we need Security overhaul in Ondo, says Akeredolu

    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.

  • Governor’s wife advocates more cancer awareness

    Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, wife of Ondo State Governor, has called on non-governmental organisations to raise awareness on cancer and its impact in the country.

    She made this call in Abuja at a music and comedy fund raising show organised by Project Pink Blue, a cancer non-profit campaign organisation.

    Mrs Akeredolu, a breast cancer survivor, noted that cancer can be defeated when people are enlightened about the ailment and the need to go for regular checkups.

    According to her, the idea of referring the ailment to spiritual attack is contributing to the high rate of preventable deaths in the country.

    “I am a 21 years cancer survivor and I am still alive, but the entry point to defeating cancer is education.

    “Education is very important in the fight against any type of cancer but in this our environment, we are held back by all sort of misconceptions on what causes cancer and how it can be treated.

    “We attribute it to spiritual attack, so instead of going to the hospital, we keep going to prayer mountain thereby wasting time.

    “People do not know that early detection is the key but we find out that by the time victims report to the hospital, their cases would have gotten to Stage 3 or Stage 4,” she said.

    She also called on Nigerians to make financial support to the treatment of cancer victims in the country.

    A male breast cancer survivor, Mr Chuks Igbokwe, advised Nigerians to regularly check themselves of lumps in their breast area and also go to the hospital for mammogram check.

    “The public should be aware that breast cancer is not exclusive to females only but men can also be victims of it.
    “I implore everyone to always check themselves and also get themselves enlightened about the disease,” he said.

    Fund were raised by ‘auctioning’ various celebrities and artists in the entertainment industry at the event.

    The celebrities include Alex Unusual, Rachael Okoronkwo, Kemen, Ex-Mr Nigeria Bryan Okwara and Denrele Edun.

    NAN

  • Ondo first lady launches 2018 Summer Tennis Clinic for children

    The Wife of Ondo State Gov., Mrs. Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, on Friday launched the 2018 State Summer Tennis Clinic for children between four and 13 years old.

    Speaking at the ceremony, which took place at the Township Stadium in Akure, Akeredolu expressed joy that the dream of initiating the tennis clinic was gradually being realised.

    She said that she was impressed that the children who participated in last year’s edition attended other competitions and won laurels.

    “This clinic is essentially to identify and develop talents in our children.

    “It is important to encourage sports development among youths in the state, particularly at the grassroots level.”

    She said that the essence was to discover and develop the latent potential and skills of young ones who were capable of becoming champions.

    Read Also: ASUP re-elects chairman at Ondo poly

    “The benefits of catching our youth’s young, especially in sports, are enormous.

    “Let us look at champions like Venus and Serena Williams. They all started as young children.

    “Today, they have become world champions winning numerous awards. We have Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Billie Jean King, just to mention a few.

    The governor’s wife said that the programme “is not a government thing”.

    “You can give into it. Let nobody wait for the governor to bring money here,” she said.

    Mr Saka Yusuf-Ogunleye, the state Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, commended the governor’s wife for the initiative.

    Yusuf-Ogunleye said that the programme would go a long way in building future tennis players for the state and Nigeria.

    A participant, Aanuoluwapo Efunsile, said the participants would use the opportunity provided by Akeredolu to develop themselves and become great tennis players.

    300 students are participating in the programme holding from August. 23 to Septemper.1, 2018.

    It is organised by the Office of Wife of Ondo Governor in collaboration with the Ondo State Sports Council. 

  • 102 Women die at childbirth daily – Akeredolu

    Wife of the Ondo State Governor, Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu on Monday said no fewer than 102 women die daily during childbirth.

    Besides, she noted that 2,123 children could not be alive to celebrate their 5th birthday because of premature death.

    Mrs Akeredolu hinged the challenges on low literacy level of most Women,stressing that half of Nigeria’s women population were illiterates.

    She noted that the major cause of low literacy level among Nigerian women was lack of opportunity to be properly schooled due to gender stereotypes prevailing in the country.

    Mrs Akeredolu spoke at the 2nd edition of ‘BEMORE’ summer boot camp ceremony at PSTI, Ilara-Mokin where another set of 400 girls were empowered in the field of Information and Communication Techology (ICY) as well as Solar technology.

    According to her, government at all levels needed  to pay more attention to girl-child in Nigeria, saying no nation can achieve sustainable development until special attention was paid to girl-child in  terms of education and protection.

    She maintained that Nigeria female illiteracy population remains higher till date, adding that more than half of Nigerian women were still without a formal education which must receive urgent attention.

    Read Also: Akeredolu’s wife seeks support for NGO’s funding

    Mrs Akeredolu said, “Our greatest error as a nation is not the acts that prompted the 1967 civil war. Our greatest error has been and continue to be, denying the girl child equal access to quality education by upholding cultural norms, traditions and religious beliefs that discriminate against them.

    “I have dedicated my life to empowering the women folk simply because I understand that a prosperous woman equals a prosperous family and in turn a prosperous community and this ideology drives me and I believe it should drive every individual seeking a better world today.

    “An investment in the girl-child is not only an investment that secures our nation’s future but one that also transforms our present state. Young girls are vibrant and smart, they have potentials yearning for expression locked inside them. We will be astonished at what they can do if we support them in unlocking these potentials.

    The founder, Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria(BRECAN) was optimistic that the beneficiaries would transform Nigeria to a digital country and bring an end to one of the greatest issues bedevilling the country especially unstable electricity.

     

  • How BRECAN saved Breast Cancer survivors in Ondo

    Ten women out of 40 Breast Cancer ‘patients on queue’ in Ondo State have been rescued through the crowd-funding scheme of the founder, Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria (BRECAN) Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu.

    Mrs Akeredolu, who is a survivor of the deadly disease and wife of the Ondo State Governor founded the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in 1997 to fight the scourge through  advocacy.

    At a news conference in Akure, the state capital, the BRECAN chairperson in the state, Dr Toying Arimoro extolled Mrs Akeredolu for her humanitarian service to the society.

    Some of the survivors, Mrs Oye Temitope,Mrs Grace Dolapo  Meroyi ,Mrs Grace Lasisi and others were at the occasion where they narrated their ordeal, and how Mrs Akeredolu  saved them from untimely deaths.

    Dr Ayimoro recalled that the Association was inaugurated in May 2017, while they combed all nooks and crannies of the18 local government areas to preach that a “cancer is not a certificate to death”.

    According to her,” we sensitised market women and even visiting religious organizations for assistance, women are more vulnerable, and they do not have resources to assess the disease.

    Read Also: ‘Ondo’ll eliminate quacks in health sector’

    She noted that since there was no resources to assess the disease, the BRECAN founder initiated crowd-funding minimum of N200 per head through which 10 women were treated and become survivors.

    Dr Ayimoro said “treatment for cancer is too expensive, no single family can tackle it except through collaborative effort to save women lives.

    Breast Cancer Consultant at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Owo, Dr Katung Abba said patient would need about N1.3m for treatment, adding that names of affected women are being compiled across the state to know the statistics.

    One of the beneficiaries and survivor, Mrs Oye Temitope, 41, appreciated Mrs Akeredolu for her kindness, stressing that she got N136,000 through BRECAN for operation.

    She urged well-meaning Nigerians to collaborate with the Association to save more lives, calling on women who are affected by the disease to expose themselves for treatment to guard against untimely death.

  • 100 students get computer sets

    100 students get computer sets

    One hundred students have received a computer set each from the wife of Ondo State Governor, Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu. The gesture was aimed at ensuring the sustainability of the girl child ICT programme organised for girls picked from 23 secondary schools in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

    Speaking at the event which held at the Public Service Training Institute, Ilara-Mokin, Mrs Akeredolu expressed optimism that the digitally-empowered girls would deploy the knowledge acquired at the programme to become key players in the global space.

    Mrs Akeredolu, who recalled her growing days in Emeabiam, a remote community in Imo State, gave insights to the dream behind the vision.

    “I was born when women were not supposed to go to school and all you get is that they prepare you for that graduate husband. That is why I have been championing the cause that God has given me the opportunity to. I am running with it. We need to make extra effort to make our young girls understand that they have the capacity to be more. That is the foundation we are laying now.

    “I don’t just want to bridge the gender gap; I want these girls to be part of the solution to our societal problems. Here is the connection. The Solar Girls will fix the panels in their school and the ICT girls will operate the computer. In a few years’ time, we should have a Digital Academy here in Akure- a virtual classroom. That is how to use skills to solve societal problems.”

    She further acknowledged the place of ICT and Solar Energy Technology as being able to help in the development of virtual classroom all over the nation, most especially in the remotest villages one can imagine.

    Earlier in his remark, the facilitator from SAO Capital, Temitope Runsewe highlighted the skills impacted on the girls while also calling for sustainability of the programme.

    Mr. Runsewe, who stated that the digitally-empowered girls will go home with a computer tablet each, reiterated that each of the tablets have been loaded with Jamb Questions, School Curriculum and West African Examination Council (WAEC) syllabus, among others in order to encourage them to continue with the training at home.

    In her keynote address, the Managing Director of Mainone Cables, Mrs. Funke Opeke stressed the need to bridge gender gap in ICT as there is less than 10 per cent gender gap in advanced countries while in Africa, it is over 30 per cent.

    Mrs. Opeke advised young women to pursue careers in engineering and sciences as it is quite fulfilling, noting that it is part of efforts to close the gender gap in the nations’ drive towards development.

    The climax of the event was the distribution of the 100 computer tablets to the girls. Two of the beneficiaries, Ayomiposi Christopher and Bukola Ayodele from St. Dominic’s High School and St. Francis High School, Akure respectively expressed joy at the opportunity given to them to benefit from the programme. They thanked Mrs Akeredolu for impacting their lives.

    Ayomiposi Christopher said: “I have never had the opportunity to touch a computer before and I am not sure I would have because I spend most of my holidays washing plates and sweeping as my parents could not afford the cost of an extra lesson.

  • APC Chieftain Celebrates Akeredolu’s Birthday at Orphanage Home

    APC Chieftain Celebrates Akeredolu’s Birthday at Orphanage Home

    The Founder of Dele Ologun Foundation and a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Mr. Dele Ologun over the weekend donated food stuff and cash to orphans and less privileged at the Ondo State Children’s Home along Oba Ile, Akure, the state capital in commemoration of the 61st and 64th birthday of the State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN and his wife, Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu respectively.
    Ologun said his passion for ameliorating the suffering of the masses and the uncommon passion of Akeredolu towards the less privileged in the State prompted him to donate to the orphanage home.
    Speaking to newsmen at the orphanage home, Ologun said “I am glad to celebrate the birthday of my mentor in line with his directive that those who wishes to celebrate with him on his birthday should go to the orphanage and less privileged home across the state to add more value to them.”
    Akeredolu who clocked 61 on July 20th had in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Segun Ajiboye said well-wishers who wish to celebrate his birthday with him should do so by celebrating with the poorest of the poor in their respective communities and at orphanage homes across the state.
    Materials donated by Ologun at the orphanage home are; one bag of rice, five cartoons of noodles, five cartons of pampers and two big packets of detergent soap.
    Others materials donated were two cartons of caparison juice, one park of tissue paper and sum of #50,000.
    The elated children at the orphanage home thanked Ologun for the gesture and prayed for more years of grace and sound health for the Governor.
    On the entourage of Ologun to the orphanage home was a Supervisory Councillor in Akure North Local Government Area of the state, Hon. Temitope Aluko, the state coordinator of Progressive Youth league, Comrade Blessing Akinlosotu, among others.
    This news medium reports that Dele Ologun became famous during the 2016 governorship campaign in the state when he branded about 10,000 loafs of bread with Akeredolu’s picture and APC logo which he used to mobilize voters within Akure metropolis towards the success of his party at the poll.