The Wife of the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Mrs. Margaret Peter Obi, has said its time for Nigerians to stop complaining and take advantage of the golden opportunity provided by 2023 General Elections, to vote in patriotic leaders who have the capacity to salvage it from collapse.
Mrs. Obi said this at a Town Hall Meeting with the Theme: Women for a new Nigeria. Held at Event Center, City Park, Abuja, on Tuesday.
She noted that the time has come for Nigerians from all walks of life irrespective of their ethnicity-religious affinity to vote for a new Nigeria where every citizen will enjoy a pride of place.
According to her, the Obi-Datti Presidential ticket presents Nigerians with the much sought after opportunity to vote in a leadership that truly cared and has the competence to deliver.
She said, “ The time for complaining is over. God has presented us with a unique opportunity and we must do our part as women, mothers of the nation, to truly birth the Nigeria we want to see.
“Do not despair, indeed a New Nigeria is possible, and with your participation, a New Nigeria will be born at the election polls on the 25th of February this year. Here is how we will do it.
“We are gathered here today, because we are patriots who believe Nigeria is worth fighting for our home that we must build with our hands.
“We are here because we believe that the nation is speeding downhill in the wrong direction, and now it is approaching a cliff into a deep dark abyss.
“Together, we must take action to turn the nation around and head it in the right direction. There is no better team to lead Nigeria at a time like this than Peter Obi and Senator Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed.
“Women make up 49% of the Nigerian population, and by June this year women and youth already made up over 75% of the registered voters in Nigeria.
“Why then should we suffer in silence? This is why we are making this call to women, you can and must empower the nation to birth a new Nigeria. When things go bad, women are the ones that suffer the most.
“ I therefore, encourage you to look at what the candidates have to offer you as women. Look at their track record and then vote accordingly. From access to finance, to healthcare, and also economic empowerment and inclusive government.”
She further said, “The ObiDatti policies show women that a new Nigeria where women take their rightful place is possible.
“In finance, even though it is women that are the primary caregivers in Nigeria, many women from petty trading, to farming to small businesses to increasingly aspiring to bigger corporations, hustle to ensure their families are well catered for, it is no secret that women suffer disproportionately from lack of access to finance.
“There is a lack of access to credit in the formal sector to 98% of women, yet when you compare those that borrow money with their male counterparts, they perform better, Men have a higher default rate.
“The Obi-Datti pact with women is that they will ensure increased access to finance for women. We know that more money in the hands of women, equates to a better life for our children. We are the ones that are raising the leaders of tomorrow.
“This is why we must step out and vote for ObiDatti ticket and vote for the labour party.
“In human capital development, many women have been rendered as economic consumers, because none has invested in developing their skills to enable them to be economically productive.
“The ObiDatti government has promised to invest in skills training in various fields to ensure that women have the opportunity to participate as active members of the labour workforce.
“These skills will increase the earning potential of women especially those in the rural areas, and afford them the dignity to make money for themselves, thus reducing the chances of those women being helpless victims in abusive relationships.“
She noted that women are disproportionately affected by inadequate healthcare in Nigeria.
To address this challenge, she said under the New Nigeria under the ObiDatt administration, there will be an increase in National health Insurance to ensure that 133 million of the poorest Nigerians are covered including pregnant women and people living with disabilities.
She equally said, “With the Nigerian population made up of over 49% women, women have a higher literacy rate, with between 60% – 70% literacy rate among females, yet it is so disheartening to see that only 6% of the legislature is female.
“What happens when half of the population and more than half of the Population are not in the halls where decisions that affect their lives are made.
“The ObiDatti government is committed to ensuring that women and youth will be represented in government by law. Not a token sprinkling of women.“
Mrs. Obi appealed to her audience who were mostly women to enlist their friends, relatives and co-workers and tel them that a new Nigeria is possible and get a commitment from them to come out to vote for ObiDatti and the Labour party on Election Day.
