Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by his Deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, gave the advice at the closing ceremony of the 22nd National Women’s Conference, with the theme: ”Spring Forth, Stand Out”, organised by the Committee Of Wives Of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO) in Lagos.
He urged women to use their power as nation builders to restore Nigeria to the path of developmental trend, by voting the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Sen. Bola Tinubu.
”Woman are extremely significant, ‘no woman, no nation, so what that means is that if we want to build that nation, we must go out, pull our husbands, our cousins, our children to go and vote for Tinubu,” the governor said.
He said that Tinubu revived the economy of Lagos state from bankruptcy in 1999 as governor.
According to him, women should mobilise to vote for Tinubu who has a track record of excellent performance.
”We are a nation of history and part of our problem as a nation is that we have forgotten our history; is that we have westernised ourselves; is that we have broken our developmental trend.
”How do we bring it back? We must bring it back by allowing people who have precedents to do the work. It is as simple as that.
”Look at how beautiful and impactful this conference had been. It is because everybody came together to work hard. So, if we want a nation our own children and grandchildren will be happier than us, it is time to vote for a man who has done it before.
”There are no two ways about it; we must look at what people have done and how they have done it. People forget that in 1999, Lagos state was bankrupt; this state does not have a single ambulance in 1999.
”Only seven per cent of the roads in Lagos state were tarred in 1999. So, a lot has happened and the foundation was laid by the man, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
”We are not being sentimental; we are just saying let us move our country forward. We belong in the nation of the disciplined and respected not just we go somewhere and they are saying Nigerians should move to one side. No!,” he said.
The governor said that Nigeria and Nigerians remained very important and the future of the black man in the world rest on Nigeria, hence, we should not miss the opportunity of making the country greater.
In her remarks, COWLSO Chairman, Mrs Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu said that she was confident that the discussions in the conference would elevate the status of women to ”spring forth” and ”stand out” in all spheres of life.
Sanwo-Olu, who urged the Federal Government to address Nigeria’s porous borders and other security challenges, also said that women had a key role to play in tackling insecurity in the country.
According to her, it is time for women to lend their voice to the security issues in the country and not leave it only for the men.
”Everyone should be security conscious. When you see something, say something and do something.
”From discussions at the conference, we were told that we have over 261 borders, out of which 137 are porous.
”To the wives of security personnel attending this conference, it is time to put the word out there and pass across the message to our spouses to ensure that this country is safe; to ensure that poverty is eradicated.
”It is only when poverty is eradicated; it is only when there is security that people will want to come to Nigeria and invest.
”Every woman here is a stakeholder with regards to security. Our voice is what we have and we must use it constructively; to brainstorm, to speak out, and to stand out,” she said.
Sanwo-Olu also urged women to embrace forward thinking mindset and unite to move forward.
At the ceremony, a posthumous award was presented to the late South-West APC Women Leader, Mrs Kemi Nelson, while other award recipients were the Wife of the First Civilian Governor of Lagos State, Alhaja Abimbola Jakande, and media personality, Funmi Iyanda.
Earlier at the Gala Night, several interesting prizes were won, while three lucky participants won the star prizes.
They were Mrs Abiola Liadi, a retired permanent secretary in the Lagos state Civil Service, who won a Turkish Return Ticket; and Mrs Adebisi Ikusawe, a civil servant with the Lagos Island Local Government, who won a brand new GAC Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV).
Also, 74-year-old Alhaja Olushola Oyedele (a.k.a Iya Luku Mushin), who won a two-bedroom apartment at LagosHoms, Sangotedo.
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