At a major empowerment rally in Abuja on Tuesday, Nigeria’s First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, called on women to use their collective influence to help shape the country’s future.
Addressing thousands at the National Women Mega Empowerment and Rally at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, she said women make up more than half of Nigeria’s population and are therefore central to driving national progress.
“This gathering matters,” she said. “With over 50 percent of the population, Nigerian women have both the responsibility and the capacity to influence change and move the nation forward.”
Tinubu praised the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, for rolling out programs that expand women’s financial inclusion and improve livelihoods. She added that when women are empowered to make key decisions, it strengthens both families and communities — a goal that aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Echoing the spirit of International Women’s Day, she said, “When Nigerian women rise, Nigeria rises.” The First Lady also received the Women’s Charter for National Development at the event and promised to present it to the President, ensuring its demands are acted on.
She described the current administration’s first term as a foundation-building phase and expressed confidence that the impact of ongoing reforms would soon be visible. She also called on mothers to instill discipline, patriotism, and strong moral values in the next generation.
Honourable Minister for women affairs Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim described the rally as the launch of a unified national movement built around the “Power of 10 Million Women” initiative. She said Nigerian women are not bystanders in democracy but active builders and partners in progress, and highlighted policy reforms aimed at supporting women, children, and vulnerable groups.
A major highlight was the presentation of the Women’s Charter for National Development — a framework outlining demands for more political representation, economic opportunity, and social welfare support. Other speakers, including Chioma Uzodimma and Noimot Salako-Oyedele, said the movement marks a shift from scattered efforts to a coordinated push across all 774 local government areas.
The First Lady also distributed empowerment tools such as tricycles, sewing machines, grinding machines, hair dryers, and freezers to support women’s economic activities.
Present at the occasion were the first lady of Cross River State Her Excellency Bishop Dr Mrs Eyoawan Itam Bassey Edet Otu and wifes of all the 36 state governors, wife’s of Senators and House of Reps members etc
The rally signaled a renewed commitment to placing women at the center of Nigeria’s reform and development agenda.
