Alleges non-inclusion
By Bode Olagoke
Abuja
The Iyaloja- General of Nigeria and daughter of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tunubu, national leader of the All Progressives Congress , Chief Folasade M. Tinubu-Ojo, has lamented what she called non-inclusion of market women and men in President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.
She said market women of Nigeria believed that the government of the day was not carrying them along as it should be, lamenting that they worked round the clock for the party during the electioneering, “but after the inauguration, most of us are not carried along.”
Asiwaju’s daughter, who led hundreds of market women to the national Secretariat of APC in Abuja yesterday, told newsmen in an interview that the market women and men all over the country were not happy with President Buhari and the APC- led government.
Addressing the protesters, Tinu-Ojo said: “I am here this afternoon to represent market women and men of Nigeria.
There has been agitation, not even agitation of allegation, the people believe that the government of the day is not carrying them along as it should be, that they worked round the clock for the party during the electioneering campaign, but after the inauguration most of us are not carried along.”
She specifically regretted that the market women were not involved in the activities and programmes of the First Lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari, prompting the women to daily lodge complaints with her office.
More annoying to her group, te market leader said, was a new market association which sprang up in the federal capital, alleging that members of the association belonged to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.
“We only hear on the news that the First Lady is doing a programme this and that and we just see it on the news and they wouldn’t allow me be, all the complaints come to my table morning and night and I say okay, enough is enough.
“We even heard that another FCT woman leader that is organising another market association and named it Association of Organised Market People in Abuja and most of these people are PDP. They were nowhere to be found when we were working for the party day and night. Now, our people are not happy because they need to benefit from where they believe they have the right to and all we need, all we are crying for is for the government to give them sense of belonging and carrying them along properly.”
When asked whether her father, Asiwaju Tinubu was in the know of her agitation, she said: “because I am the daughter of the National leader of APC doesn’t mean that I must not represent my people well.
“ I have to represent my people’s opinion. I am a leader, and as a leader, my people are crying foul and I won’t fold my hands and keep quite because my father is a national leader. It is wrong, I am not mobilizing against the party. No , I am solidly behind the party, I have worked for the party before and I will still work for the party tomorrow, but that does not stop me from saying the truth.”
