The opposition Labour Party has assured Nigerians of a new dawn in the country, if elected into power, in the incoming general elections.
Specifically, the women have been promised that once the party is elected into office, both at the State and Federal levels, good governance will “triple down from top to bottom” and they would not be enslaved any more, as they presently suffer, by paying undue levies to hoodlums.
Lagos LP Woman Leader, Titilope Oworu, gave these assurances during an interview with The Eagle Online on Monday at the last series of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry LCCI Private Sector Economic Forum on the 2023 Presidential Election.
The session featured the LP presidential candidate, Peter Obi, at the Commerce House, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Oworu said: “They wouldn’t be afraid to go to hospitals because of the charges. Everything is going to be working. The children will be in school, so, majority of what is giving them problem is what Obi is going to look into, on his first 100 days in office.
“So, I’am just hoping that on that day, the opposition would allow people that want new Nigeria to actually go to polling units, peacefully choose the person of their choice – to allow them vote with their conscience with their heads, minds and not by physical surrounding of thugs and guns.
“On that day, they will bring them stocks and money. Take what they give you, but when you get to where you will vote, put it on Labour Party.”
Responding to question on the level of trust the women have in the message of new dawn, Oworu rated that the confidence level was 70 per cent, adding: “I am a woman like them; I have to put myself in their shoes; I have to empathise in what they are going through; I have to see myself in doing what they are doing and having the same mindset, especially those ones at the grassroot level.
“But like I said, they told me and my committee that they are tired as well; they are tired of the ways things are going, and they too are vying for this change, just that they are afraid.”
Despite the worries, Oworu reiterated that the women have been charged to be courageous, that whatever they tell them, they should respond they’ve heard, but on the election day, the same trust they gave to her team when conversing with them, should be replicated while voting.
She stated that the women know the right thing to do, but they are afraid of losing their sustainable means of livelihood, which is being sourced from the ruling All Progressives Congress in Lagos State.
On the outreach by the party to women, Oworu disclosed that LP has reached Ebute Metta, initially planned to visit Lagos Island the same day Obi was featured at the LCCI Forum.
Already, the Woman Leader team, Oworu indicated, has visited, discussed with the women, but still plans to have a medical outreach, because there is no way they can participate well in the political dispensation, if they are not in good health.
“So we are going there over the weekend to go and get them fixed first, look after their health issues give out free glasses, look into their blood pressure, give the children fibre, those that are okay, give them multivitamins to be taking, because we need everybody to be healthy,” she revealed.
She added: “From there, we will take it up, because you can’t talk to a sick person, you need to see Makoko; For the first time I went on a canoe, I almost died; My heart was in my mouth, I was just praying and wondering that is where they live everyday.
“We are going to Ojo, after, we are going to Ikeja, so, we have the list of where we are going, we just started last week, we’ve just done like four. Everyday, we’ve somewhere we’re going.”
Oworu spoke elaborately on her programmes for women.
Her words: “In Lagos State just like any other, mostly for the women, they have different problems they are facing, so, what we’ve started doing is going to the grassroots. In as much as we are trying to get them to support Labour Party. We are telling them all the profits that they are going to get if they move to Labour Party and aside making promises, we are also listening to their immediate needs, so that we can hold our incoming Governor, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and our principal, Obi, accountable.
“As a woman leader, I am actually hoping that by the time we come into full power, there will be key portfolio that will be headed by woman, so that they can get their right conversation with the women, because it is only if they have the women as the head of affairs that they will be able to listen and provide solutions – that woman at the top to get across to either the Governor or Senate and invariably, to get down to the principal.”
While speaking on the channels of communication, Oworu replied that so far, it has been okay, but the team had problem along the way with some of the women in the rural areas, because most of them are in the markets and most of the markets are owned by Lagos state.
She said: “So inasmuch as they are tired of the situation of things in the country, they are afraid that if they move to Labour Party and they are actually spotted as being supporters they may lose their job. Some said they may lose their lives, but what we are telling them is that on the day of voting, they are not going to follow them to the place.
“I wouldn’t let them to lose their job sustenance at the end of the day, they can listen to whatever they have to tell them, but when they get to the polling units, just imprint on the Labour Party, which has papa, mama and the ‘piking’ logo and wheel of progress.”
