AYOOLA DECLARES AS HE SPLASHES N250M-WORTH OF CASH GRANTS, GRAINS, EMPOWERMENT ITEMS ON 3000 FEMALE INDIVIDUALS AT 'HISTORIC' CONFERENCE

My Administration terminates in 2025 and I will be leaving this Women Summit as a legacy behind. It is my fervent hope that my successor would see the positive side of this gathering and not only continue with it but also improve on it.

The above stated quote was what the Executive Chairman, Hon. Fatai Adekunle Ayoola said when he was concluding his speech at the day two & grand finale of the pioneering 2024 Women Summit/4th Mega Empowerment Program by the Local Government held on Tuesday, 2nd July with the theme: 'Empowering Women, Transforming Communities.

Delivering his speech, Chairman Ayoola described the Women Summit as a landmark achievement of his Administration that hand the initiative to other local councils, having being the first Council ever to convene such a history-making gathering, where women from all walks of life are lectured and supported with other necessary but elusive needs.

Chairman Ayoola explained that the idea behind the epoch-making event was to replicate the Committee of Wives of State Officials of Lagos (COWSOL) Conference convened by the State Government annually, the only difference, the Chairman stated, was that the Local Government decided to take the opportunity to "empower and support" the participating women.

At the closing ceremony of the widely-publicised 2-day Program which began on Mon, July 1st, the 3000 beneficiaries carted away with N500,000, N200,000, N100,000 and N50,000 grants. Also 200 deep freezers, 1000 units of 3kg gas cylinders, 50 pieces of 2.9kva generating set, 50 pieces of hairdryers, 50 pieces of sewing machines and 3000 bags of 10kg rice.

On day one, speakers after speakers had rapports with the women for more than four hours, where they were taught on self development, improving mental health, safety measures, Action on Climate Change and how they can improvise.

Outlining how the beneficiaries were selected, Ayoola listed Market Traders, Entrepreneurs, Single Mothers, Wives of Military/Police Officers, Youth Corpers, Artisans, Community Development Associations, National Youth Council of Nigeria, Religious Bodies, Community Volunteers, People Living With Disabilities, Destitutes and other vulnerable groups as those who made the cut. This he said was to ensure inclusivity and rehabilitation.

He also said the Local Government made sure that all the beneficiaries were drawn from the six geopolitical zones of the Country. The Chairman appealed to the women to make good use of the funds and items so that, collectively, we can improve on the continued economic development of the Local Government and the State, at large.

He reserved words of commendations to Wema Bank, Dangote Salt, Smart Gas, Ajinomoto Foods, Global Medus Resources, and Venus Processing & Packaging Ltd - corporate partners who partnered with the LG. Ayoola also called on other corporate entities to join the fray and collaborate with the government.

He reserved words of commendations to Wema Bank, Dangote Salt, Smart Gas, Ajinomoto Foods, Global Medus Resources, and Venus Processing & Packaging Ltd - corporate partners who partnered with the LG. Ayoola also called on other corporate entities to join the fray and collaborate with the government.

In her keynote address, Her Excellency, Dr. (Mrs) Ibijoke Claudiana Sanwo-Olu, the First Lady said she was delighted to be the Special Guest of Honour at such an incredible gathering. She lauded the Chairman's thoughtfulness at packaging such a wonderful Summit seizing the occasion to urge the women to be self-reliant and advising them to go into agriculture.She said lifting the people from the doldrums is always a conundrum for any leader but somehow, the Chairman has found a recipe to it.

Sanwo-Olu later had the honour of presenting grants of N500,000 and other items to some beneficiaries. Earlier in her remarks, the Lagos State Commissioner for Women Affairs & Poverty Alleviation, Mrs Cecilia Bolaji Dada commended the Chairman for dictating the pace. She stated that the Ministry of WAPA is proud to partner with the Chairman for the betterment of vulnerable women.

She appealed to the women to take ample opportunity of the 19 Skills Acquisition Centres belonging to the State Government and with the over 22 skills courses for their own benefits. She implored the women to continue to develop and look after themselves. By doing these, Dada said, we can eradicate the menace of domestic violence. In her own goodwill message, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy & Community Affairs, Kikelomo Afusat Bolarinwa praised the Chairman for his passion for women development.

The State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Hon. Cornelius Oyefolu Ojelabi said it is always a big occasion whenever he is invited for one program or the other in Ajeromi Ifelodun LG. Each time, he said, the Chairman never disappoints. He said the APC has been vindicated by picking Ayoola to lead the LG because the people's lives have been tremendously transformed. He said when President Bola Tinubu ended the oil subsidy regime in 2023, there was uproar. But increase in monthly allocations which is one of the gains of the policy, is what Ayoola is giving back.

Ojelabi said Lagos is blessed to have elected public servants who have the people at hearts. He commended the Chairman for taking cues from Mr. Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who has been exceptional as leader of the state. The Party Leader stated that what the people saw was one of the programs the governing APC has for them and advised them to take the opportunity of the E-membership Registration exercise embarked upon by the party to renew their membership or be enlisted as members of the APC.