The Deputy Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Ms. Funke Akindele and the Lagos West Senatorial District candidate Otunba Segun Adewale have pledged that the party would cater more for the women and children through vocational training and empowerment if elected into office.
Akindele also vowed to ensure that the people of the state are 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, spoke on Friday, while campaigning in some markets in Alimosho area of the state including Ipaja, Gatan Kowa and Ile Epo.
She emphasised that time had come for the residents of the state to enjoy the dividends of democracy.
“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 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, ” she said.
She said that the PDP administration would ensure adequate training for teachers in the state.
According to her, the PDP government will take care of market women and those in informal sectors will be given soft loans, exposed to skills and would be given other empowerments.
“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.
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.”
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 fondly known as Aeroland noted that one of the biggest challenges of the nation was the youth, said that “most of them are into drugs, and have become louts.”
The PDP candidate, who noted that every serious government should take the matter of the youth very important, stressed that “it is not compulsory that everybody should attend university, let us have vocational centres where people can go and learn trade.”