First Lady of Osun State, Titilola Adeleke, has dismissed allegations made by the Osun All Progressives Congress, APC, Women Leader, Alhaja Kudirat Fakokunde, over the distribution of a business empowerment grant.
APC in Osun State accused the wife of the state governor, Titilayo Adeleke, of shortchanging its female members in the distribution of a business support grant initiated by Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu.
The initiative, under Tinubu’s Renewed Hope programme in partnership with the Tony Elumelu Foundation, aims to empower grassroots women across the country.
In Osun, no fewer than 200 businesswomen drawn from the 332 wards in the state received the grant, with each beneficiary getting N50,000 to boost their businesses.
At the presentation held at the Tinubu/Shettima campaign office in Osogbo, Osun APC Women Leader, Kudiratu Fakokunde, alleged that despite her appeal for a larger quota, the governor’s wife deliberately reduced their slots.
However, in a statement issued on Sunday by Adewale Adeleke, Chief Press Secretary to the Osun First Lady, the allegation was described as false, unfounded, and misleading.
According to the statement, “the distribution of the empowerment grant was carried out transparently and equitably. Prior to the exercise, Mrs. Adeleke and Alhaja Fakokunde reportedly agreed on the modalities of sharing.
“It is rather unfortunate that such blatant lies could come from Alhaja Fakokunde, whom I respect so much.
“She was in my office a day before the distribution exercise where we both agreed on the modalities of sharing. At no point were APC women short-changed.
“An agreement had been reached for 200 APC women to directly benefit from the scheme, while the remaining 300 slots were allocated to grassroots traders and other Osun women across political lines.”
The statement emphasised that Adeleke has consistently demonstrated fairness and inclusiveness by extending empowerment initiatives to women irrespective of party affiliation.
“In the history of Osun State, it is unprecedented that the wife of a sitting governor will deliberately accommodate women from the opposition party in state-wide empowerment programmes.
“This alone testifies to the fact that the First Lady is God-fearing, accommodating, and peace-loving,” the statement added.
“Such allegations risked undermining genuine efforts aimed at improving the livelihoods of women across Osun through partnerships with government institutions and private foundations.
“The Office of the First Lady assured the public that it would continue to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to provide life-changing opportunities for women across the state without bias or discrimination,” it concluded.
Credit: Daily Post
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