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Nigeria’s first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, yesterday identified wives of Nigeria’s former military rulers, Sani Abacha and Ibrahim Babangida, as her role models.
The First Lady, who was speaking at the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Arcade ground in Akure, capital of Ondo state, at the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, women’s rally on Tuesday, said both women who had occupied her present office left great legacies behind.
She said, “I am fighting a course that her Excellency, Maryam Abacha fought. She was the one that went to Beijign conference (the fourth world conference on women, which held in 1995) and asked for 30 percent affirmative action and when she came back it was buried.
“Our mother Maryam Babaginda, may her soul rest in peace, is also a woman that Nigeria women would never forget. You remember Better life (Better Life for Rural Women, an initiative of Maryam Babangida). She suffered a lot for Nigerian women.
“So these two women are my role models and I am carrying the cross they have left behind for me. I have come to complete the fight for the women of Nigeria to be free and Nigeria women I promise that I will not disappoint you.” She further said that under President Goodluck Jonathan, the welfare of women has improved.
“Imagine in the past, out of 1000 pregnant women, 800 will die during the process of child delivery but PDP and Goodluck Jonathan’s government said no woman will die and the death rate has reduced and is still reducing. “As part of his effort to stop the death of women, he has been building hospitals and just yesterday he went to commission another hospital in Bauchi.
“It is high time we supported PDP government and stood by them because they gave us 35 percent affirmative action.
“Now they have asked me to tell you that if you reelect them, they will increase it to 45 percent. So what else are we looking for? Are we looking for propagandists? Are we looking for liars and those who only know how to fabricate?” Dame Jonathan asked.
