The First Lady, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, has called on state governors and lawmakers to prescribe capital punishment for kidnapping.
She also described as heart-rending, the act of kidnapping innocent children who she also described as the future of the nation.
According to a statement by her media aide, Busola Kukoyi, the First Lady said this on Friday during a meeting with the National Women Leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at the State House, Abuja.
She described the kidnappers as coward for majorly taking hold of women and children, saying they are inhumane and should be treated as such.
“They are cowards. Our hearts bleed. I call on the state governments that once we take hold of them, they deserve capital punishment. Why can’t they take men of their size, why are they touching women and children.
“What they are doing is that they are trying to kill our future, we all know that when parents are old, we rely on our children, we see them as our investments that have not gone to a waste especially when they are successful.
“Why will you now take them from their schools? Right now, I think enough is enough. As a former lawmaker, I believe that any one of them captured deserves capital punishment.
“I believe most mothers will support me on this because we carry our children for nine months, and we cannot watch what we love to wither away,” she stated.
Senator Tinubu told the women that the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu places a strong emphasis on creating opportunities for women to thrive economically, socially, and politically.
“As women, we constitute a significant portion of our society, and it is vital that our voices are heard and our contributions acknowledged. As women leaders, your role is very crucial to our nation’s development.
“You are the eyes and ears of the Government at the grassroot. I therefore encourage you to set a robust agenda for empowerment, inclusion and welfare of women within our Party and across the Nation,” Mrs Tinubu added.
She also celebrated the 2024 International Women’s Day with the women and all other Nigerian women for their courage, resilience and doggedness.
“On my part, the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) was established to focus on championing women’s causes and implementing various programmes and initiatives nationwide with our motto, which states, “towards a better life for families”.
“Accelerating progress in any endeavour requires that women have to be more involved, that is why I see investing in women, not as charity, but a crucial strategy to build the future of our dear nation, Nigeria.
“Empowering women with education, resources and opportunities to unlock their full potential, such as, supporting women’s businesses, investing in women’s health, agricultural programmes for women, and creating pathways for women in science and technology will help in dismantling economic and social barriers that women face.
“Therefore, my charge to you all is to be each other’s keeper, let us all come together, bond and love one another. Each of you should commit to pull a sister up, one at a time. You will all be amazed at what we can achieve collectively,’’ she stated.
Earlier, the group, led by the APC National Woman Leader, Dr Mary Idele Alile, her Deputy, Hajia Zainab Ibrahim, and members of the Executives, thanked the First Lady for her impacts on the lives of Nigerians through her various interventions on the platform of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI).
The group also requested the First Lady to help them by pressing for more inclusion in the activities of the current government.
“We highlight the remarkable achievement of the RHI spearheaded by our first lady across the country; the RHI has brought about transformative change through various programme which include the Elderly Support Scheme, National Scholarship Programme, Women in Agric Support Programme and many others,” Mrs Alile said.
The delegation was made up of the APC National woman leader, her deputy, the six zonal leaders and the women leaders of the 36 states of the Federation and the FCT.
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