Deputy Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Ms. Funke Akindele, on Friday promised that the party will cater more for women and children if elected into office, come 2023, just as she vowed that the PDP- led administration would ensure that people of the state were provided with basic infrastructure that would make life better for them.
The celebrated Nollywood actress, who is contesting alongside Dr. Olajide Azeez Adediran aka Jandor, the party’s governorship candidate, made these promises while campaigning in some markets in Alimosho area of the state, including Ipaja, Gatan Kowa and Ile Epo.
The PDP chieftain emphasised that time had come for the residents of the state to enjoy the dividends of democracy, saying that for children to become responsible youths and great leaders of tomorrow, they must get proper education.
Besides, she said that the PDP administration would ensure adequate training for teachers in the state.
“Our children are very important and for them to grow up to become responsible youths and great leaders of tomorrow, they must get proper education. We are not comfortable with the over 2 million out-of-school children in Lagos State.
“This should not be so. We need to encourage parents to let their children go to schools by making education free and compulsory, providing learning and teaching aids.
“We will provide learning aids for the children, give them free uniforms and provision of one free meal per day for is part of the plans.
“We will provide free and compulsory education for our children so that we can have better leaders tomorrow.
“We shall make sure that women are in all economic sectors and provide different opportunities for them. Women would be given 35 per cent slot in all sectors,” Akindele said.
Speaking further, the deputy governorship candidate the PDP government would take care of market women, adding that those in informal sectors would be given soft loans, exposed to skills and also equipped with other empowerments.
Akindele said that she had privately been helping and empowering women and children for a long time, saying that “this is the biggest chance for me to do it better.”
“We shall teach them, nurture them and supervise whatever trade they are into to ensure that they do it right. We have a lot of things in stock for women and for children. I am very passionate about children. They really touch my soul so much,” she said.
Also speaking, Otunba Segun Adewale, the PDP Candidate for Lagos West Senatorial District, promised to facilitate a bill that would make provision of at least a vocational centre in each of the local governments in the state compulsory.
Adewale, who noted that one of the biggest challenges of the nation was the youth, lamented that “most of them are into drugs, and have become touts.”
The PDP candidate, who noted that every serious government should take the matter of the youth very important, stressed the need to establish vocational centres where people can go and learn trade.
“It is not compulsory that everybody should attend university, let us have vocational centres where people can go and learn trade,” he said.