By Sarah NEGEDU
Former First Lady of Kano State, Prof. Hafsat Abdullahi Ganduje, has applauded the Federal Capital Territory Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, for launching an empowerment programme in Kano, describing it as a practical intervention capable of easing economic pressures on women and vulnerable residents.
Prof. Ganduje, who served as Special Guest of Honour at the official unveiling of the Kano Mega Empowerment Programme initiated by Mahmoud, said the scheme reflects foresight and compassion.
The former Kano first lady fondly referred to as Gogo, applauded the minister for what she called a demonstration of the true spirit of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
“The programme exemplifies true empowerment that is people-focused and designed to combat poverty, strengthen families, and promote social stability,” she said.
Prof. Ganduje urged former governors Abdullahi Ganduje and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to end their long-running feud for the sake of Kano’s stability. She reminded both men of their shared history and asked them to support the current governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf.
“I must use this opportunity to remind the former governors that they are not just friends but brothers. They should please come together and support the current governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, to finish his tenure just as Rabiu Kwankwaso supported Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje to become governor and today both of them are former governors,” she said.
She expressed particular delight that the initiative directly targets APC women leaders as well as vulnerable groups, noting that such interventions boost individual livelihoods while strengthening the party structure at the grassroots. Prof. Ganduje congratulated Mahmoud and partners, stating that responsive leadership anchored on empathy “could profoundly change lives.”
Also speaking at the event, Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, said Mahmoud’s intervention aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s focus on human capital development, adding that the minister has shown “that she has the interest of the people at heart.” She urged beneficiaries to maximise the items for personal and family upliftment.
The APC Women Leader in the State, Hajiya Fatima Dala, who spoke on behalf of beneficiaries, described the exercise as unprecedented.
“We have had ministers from Kano State, but we have never seen such empowerment programme in the history of Kano State. The Minister has demonstrated concern for women and vulnerable by ensuring that only those who deserve these items actually benefit from it,” she said.
“I urge other beneficiaries to please make good use of these items to be self-reliant. Let me also use this opportunity to call on other politicians to emulate the minister by empowering more women because we have the bulk vote.”
Meanwhile, the FCT Minister of State, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, explained that the programme was designed to boost self-reliance and restore dignity rather than simply distribute items.
She noted that the loyalty, sacrifice and grassroots mobilisation of the women leaders and other beneficiaries had continued to reinforce APC structures in Kano.
According to her, “Rooted in the APC’s progressive ideals of social justice, inclusive growth, and shared prosperity, the initiative addressed economic challenges by promoting self-reliance over dependency, stimulating local productivity, bolstering household incomes, and enabling beneficiaries to contribute to economic and community development.”
Items distributed under the mega empowerment scheme include cars, motorcycles, tricycles, wheelchairs, sewing machines, fertilizers, bags of rice, spaghetti-making machines, grinding machines and various financial support packages.
