Abejide Launches N600m Empowerment Scheme for Women, Widows in Kano

A member of the House of Representatives, Leke Abejide, has launched a N600 million empowerment scheme for women and widows in Kano, aimed at promoting economic self-reliance and supporting small businesses.

Abejide, who represents Yagba Federal Constituency of Kogi State, announced the initiative at its launch in Kano, urging beneficiaries to support President Bola Tinubu and Gov. Abba Kabir Yusuf in the forthcoming elections.

He said the intervention was part of his commitment to giving back to Kano, which he described as his home and the foundation of his success.

The lawmaker recalled arriving in Kano in February 1993 as a young boy from Alu, Yagba East Local Government Area of Kogi, saying the city provided him with opportunities that shaped his business career.

He explained that the N500 million scheme would provide interest-free loans to women organised into cooperative societies, with the amount allocated to beneficiaries determined by their business needs and capacity.

According to him, the revolving loan arrangement is designed to ensure sustainability, enabling other women to benefit as previous beneficiaries repay the loans.

Abejide said the programme covers women from eight Yoruba-speaking states, namely Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Kogi and Kwara, as well as Ebira, Igala and Bassa communities from Kogi State residing in Kano.

He added that widows would receive direct financial support through their bank accounts to strengthen their petty businesses, while participating women would also receive rice and six yards of printed wax fabric.

The lawmaker warned beneficiaries against diverting the funds, saying monitoring mechanisms had been established to ensure accountability and minimise loan defaults.

He disclosed that the foundation planned to extend the initiative to youths and men in business, particularly unemployed young people, to promote self-reliance and economic productivity.

Abejide said the foundation had begun collecting names of prospective beneficiaries ahead of the next phase of the programme.

On politics, he called on the Yoruba community and other beneficiaries in Kano to support Tinubu, Yusuf and other APC candidates in the forthcoming elections.

He expressed concern over Tinubu’s performance in Kano during the 2023 presidential election, when the president secured more than 500,000 votes across the state’s 44 local government areas.

The lawmaker said he was mobilising the Yoruba community for stronger political participation, adding that arrangements were underway to appoint polling-unit coordinators among women and widows benefiting from the scheme.

He reaffirmed his commitment to mobilising support for APC candidates contesting senatorial, House of Representatives and state assembly seats.

Abejide said the empowerment initiative had also helped unite Yoruba associations in Kano, bringing together groups that previously operated separately.

He cited the foundation’s achievements in Kogi, including free WAEC registration for more than 50,000 students and support for about 10,000 widows over the years.

He expressed optimism that the programme would achieve greater success in Kano, which he described as the commercial hub of northern Nigeria.

Abejide urged beneficiaries to utilise the assistance judiciously, assuring them that the foundation would sustain its commitment to improving their economic conditions.