By George Ozalla
A political and empowerment gathering in Abuja on Thursday drew hundreds of women, youths and community mobilisers, as the Irene Ezekwe Empowerment Foundation used the platform to express support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second term ambition while also reviewing key policies of his administration since 2023.
The event, held at the headquarters of the Tinubu Support Group in the Federal Capital Territory, brought together grassroots organisers, beneficiaries of empowerment schemes, political associates and community leaders drawn from Abuja and neighbouring states. It combined social intervention activities with political mobilisation and policy reflection on the direction of the current administration.
Founder of the foundation, Ambassador Irene E. Chukwunonso, said the gathering was not only designed to support vulnerable groups but also to assess what she described as the progress recorded under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
She stated that the administration inherited deep economic and structural challenges but had demonstrated courage in implementing reforms that past governments had avoided. According to her, the early difficulties associated with some of the policies were beginning to give way to measurable gains in different sectors.
“The President has shown courage in taking decisions many leaders before him were unwilling to take. Leadership is not always about popularity; sometimes it is about making difficult choices for the future of a nation,” she said.
She further stated that the foundation’s engagement with communities had provided a clearer understanding of how federal interventions were beginning to impact ordinary citizens, especially in agriculture, education support, infrastructure development and youth empowerment programmes.
Ambassador Irene added that programmes such as the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), ongoing road construction projects, agricultural reforms, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) transportation initiatives and efforts aimed at strengthening local government autonomy were part of the policy direction being assessed positively by the organisation.
She also noted that her foundation had continued to run empowerment initiatives targeting women, widows, unemployed youths and low-income households through skills acquisition training, agricultural support schemes and small-scale financial assistance.
“I want to use my organisation, my foundation and my NGO to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 election. We are demonstrating today that grassroots mobilisation remains strong and that ordinary citizens are willing to support leadership they believe is making efforts to transform the country,” she said.
Director-General of the Tinubu Support Group (TSG), Ambassador Umar Yakassai, also addressed the gathering and urged supporters to sustain mobilisation efforts beyond election periods. He stressed that political engagement should remain continuous and not be limited to campaigns alone.
He stated that the focus should be on ensuring citizens are properly informed about government policies and how such programmes could be accessed at the community level. “The task ahead is to ensure that citizens are adequately informed about government initiatives and how such programmes can benefit local communities,” he said.
Yakassai further stated that sustained grassroots engagement would help bridge the gap between policy rollout and public understanding, particularly in communities where access to official communication remains limited.
The event also featured distribution of cash assistance and food items to selected beneficiaries, an intervention that drew appreciation from recipients who described the gesture as timely amid current economic pressures.
Some of the women who attended called for expanded empowerment programmes, especially in vocational training, small-scale enterprise support and access to affordable funding for petty traders and artisans. Youth participants also urged stakeholders to prioritise skill development programmes that can translate into employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.
The gathering also provided a platform for broader political discussions around national development, with speakers highlighting issues of poverty reduction, youth unemployment and women’s participation in economic activities. While support for the administration was evident, participants also pressed for wider reach of government programmes at the grassroots, especially for households still struggling with rising costs and limited access to interventions.
