As the Yuletide season draws nearer, the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has appealed to market women to refrain from unfair hike in prices of food items during the festive season

This is as the President’s wife has inaugurated a 3.1 kilometer runway at the Wilberforce Chuba Okadigbo International Airport, Onueke, Ebonyi State.

She performed the ceremony on the margins of her visit to the state where she attended the 2024 Ebonyi Women’s Day Celebration.

She was joined at the inauguration ceremony by Wife of the Vice President, Hajia Nana Shettima, the state Governor, Francis Nwifuru and former Senate President, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim among others.

While applauding the state governor for seeing the project through, the First Lady said commercial activities at the airport will usher in more socio-economic development for the state.

She explained that inauguration of the runway is a significant ceremony that is crucial to the commencement of commercial flight operations at the airport, scheduled for December 12, this year..

Senator Oluremi Tinubu later interacted with Ebonyi State traditional rulers at the Presidential Lodge, Abakaliki where she extolled the peaceful nature of the state, describing it as a beacon of hope for the country.

The First Lady in a statement by her media aide, Busola Kukoyi, was quoted as saying, “Nigeria has everything it takes for us to be a great nation. We have to continue to bless this land and I appeal to you our traditional rulers to lead in that regard.”

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Addressing women who converged on the Pa Ngele Oruta Township Stadium, Abakaliki, for their 2024 Women’s Day Celebration, the First Lady acknowledged the theme of the celebration “Uplifting Women For Sustainable Development,“ noting the tremendous support they have enjoyed from the state governor in the areas of appointment and interventions.

“Let me go back to greet your governor. He has gone beyond the 35 percent in female appointment. His deputy governor is a woman, same for the Secretary to the State Government and many down the line.

“Now I want to announce that he has decided to empower 130 people with businesses with one million Naira each as business recapitalization grants.

“As RHI, we did not come empty handed. We are donating a sum of 50 million Naira, 20,000 wrappers, shoes and bags to support businesses of women in that line, in this state.”

The State governor, Francis Nwifuru, while appreciating the First Lady for the visit acknowledged the impact of RHI intervention programmes in the state and thanked her for bringing dividends of democracy to Ebonyi women.

He added that he is indebted to the women of the state whose contributions to the development of the state has been tremendous.