First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has provided financial assistance and business equipment to 500 market women and petty traders in Cross River State as part of efforts to strengthen small businesses and support women entrepreneurs.
The empowerment programme took place on Saturday at Watt Market in Calabar and was organised through the Women Mobilisation Directorate of the APC Presidential Campaign Council.
Represented by the directorate’s Deputy Director and former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu, the First Lady provided ₦50,000 cash support to beneficiaries alongside various household and business items.
Edu explained that the initiative was designed to give traders additional capital to expand their businesses and improve their livelihoods. Some beneficiaries also received equipment, including deep freezers, blenders and toasters.
She described the Calabar exercise as the first phase of the programme in Cross River State, adding that similar interventions were planned for Ogoja and the northern senatorial district.
According to her, the initiative would eventually be extended to other states across the federation.
Edu also urged residents of Cross River to support President Bola Tinubu, Governor Bassey Otu and other APC candidates in the 2027 general elections.
One of the beneficiaries, Esther Bassey, a widow and mother of three from Odukpani Local Government Area, expressed appreciation for the assistance, saying it would help her support her children.
As part of the visit, Edu and other members of the delegation also visited the General Hospital in Calabar, where they donated gift items to women and children receiving treatment.
