Gov. Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has declared that all great women of Benue State were his first ladies, while Mrs. Tinubu was the mother of the state.
Alia stated this on Saturday in Makurdi, during the launch of the 774 Explode Project, an initiative of Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, the First Lady.
He also said the massive votes of women in the statem ade him to win the 2023 governorship election.
The 774 Explode Project, is being promoted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Woman Leader, Dr. Mary Alile,
The governor said without the massive votes of women, he and President Bola Tinubu, would not have won elections in 2023, and therefore, reassured them of their continued support.
He said since he did not have a first lady, He assured women in the state that he would continue to support them to attain their goals and realise their potential.
On 774 Explode Project, Alia said his administration would ensure that Benue remained number one in its implementation nationwide.
He said after training and skills acquisition by the women in their chosen skills, they would each receive N500,000 take-off support from the state government.
Alile who inaugurated the project, said only five per cent of women were currently in governance in Nigeria.
She said of the 469 National Assembly members, only 20 were women, adding that 15 of the 36 current state Houses of Assemblies had no female representatives.
She said women represented 49.3 per cent of the country’s population, and therefore, needed to wake up and make things happen for them.
Alile commended Alia for funding the launch of the project in Benue.
She also commended the governors over their support for the initiative, noting that it would benefit the states immensely.