The newly inaugurated Chapter and Ward Coordinators of Iban Presidency (SAPWA) in Akwa Ibom State have been advised to serve as bridges between the government and the grassroots for the effective implementation of government initiatives in the overall interest and benefit of women.
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Bassey Eno, Ph.D., gave the advice on Thursday, July 30, 2026, during the inauguration of the Chapter and Ward Coordinators of the organization at the Women Development Centre, IBB Avenue, Uyo.
Governor Umo Eno, who spoke through the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Hon. (Mrs.) Inibehe Silas Etukudo, said his administration has consistently demonstrated that women are not merely beneficiaries of development but indispensable partners in governance, economic growth, peacebuilding and community development.
The Governor further stated that through deliberate policies and impactful programmes, his administration has continued to invest in women’s economic empowerment, skills acquisition, education, healthcare, social protection, as well as the promotion of the rights, dignity and welfare of women, children and other vulnerable persons in the state.
He lauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s socio-economic reforms aimed at securing a prosperous future for Nigeria, adding that the bottom-up economic approach is primarily targeted at grassroots development with a view to stimulating grassroots trade and productivity for the benefit of women.
Governor Eno commended the initiator of SAPWA and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Women Affairs, Engr. Fatima Abubakar-Faruk, for establishing the strategic initiative. He noted that the programme aligns with the vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which recognizes that sustainable national development cannot be achieved without the active participation, empowerment and inclusion of women at every level of society.
He described the inauguration as another demonstration of the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening women’s leadership and ensuring that government policies and programmes are effectively transmitted to the grassroots, adding that the vision equally resonates with his administration’s ARISE Agenda.
While congratulating the newly inaugurated Coordinators, the Governor urged them to discharge their responsibilities with integrity, fairness, compassion and dedication, stressing: “Let your leadership foster unity rather than division, collaboration rather than competition and service above self.”
In her speech, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Women Affairs, Engr. Fatima Abubakar-Faruk, said she was in the state to officially inaugurate SAPWA’s Local Government Chapter and Ward Coordinators, unveil the SAPWA Women Movement and present the Akwa Ibom Women Voters Database to Governor Umo Eno.
She explained that the inauguration marked the official commencement of a formidable grassroots movement that will mobilize, organize, and energize women across the state in support of the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Governor Umo Eno in 2027.
Faruk expressed appreciation to Governor Umo Eno for his outstanding leadership and unwavering commitment to the development of women and the people of Akwa Ibom State through his ARISE Agenda. She noted that his visionary leadership has brought prosperity to the state.
The presidential aide also paid glowing tribute to President Bola Tinubu’s reform policies, which, she noted, have laid a solid foundation for a more competitive economy, renewed investors’ confidence, strengthened support for local production, and expanded infrastructural development. She appealed to Nigerians to remain patient and make the collective sacrifices required for national progress.
While expressing gratitude to the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Hon. (Mrs.) Inibehe Silas Etukudo, for her unwavering leadership and support for SAPWA in the state, the presidential aide pointed out that the strength of every successful political movement lies at the grassroots.
She added: “Governments are sustained by the confidence of the people and elections are won not in television studios or newspaper headlines, but in the wards, polling units, markets, churches, mosques and communities where ordinary Nigerians live.”
Faruk charged the newly inaugurated Coordinators to see themselves as ambassadors of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and to embark on massive grassroots mobilization for the President’s electoral victory in 2027.
Earlier in her welcome address, the Akwa Ibom State Coordinator of Iban Presidency (SAPWA), Amb. Comrade Victoria Uko, lauded the developmental strides of Governor Umo Eno’s administration, particularly in infrastructure, human capital development, compassionate governance, rural-urban transformation, grassroots security, and employment generation.
Uko observed that Governor Umo Eno’s payment of ₦87 billion in inherited gratuity liabilities owed to retired civil servants, the disbursement of cooperative grants to Akwa Ibom women across the state’s 329 wards and numerous other achievements underscore his compassionate and people-oriented approach to governance.
The State Coordinator also praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his investments in human capital and technological development, which, she noted, have equipped youths and women with digital skills and tools, enabling them to compete in the global economy.
While assuring the Federal Government of Akwa Ibom women’s readiness to massively support the APC-led administration in 2027, she charged the newly inaugurated Chapter and Ward Coordinators to take the message of the Renewed Hope and ARISE Agenda to every part of the state through massive registration and mobilization of women in their respective communities. She expressed optimism that, with such commitment, SAPWA’s target of 66,161 votes would be realized during the elections.
Highlights of the event included the inauguration of the 31 Chapter Coordinators and 329 Ward Coordinators of Iban Presidency (SAPWA) by Uyo-based lawyer, Barr. Imo Benjamin; the presentation of the Akwa Ibom Women Voters Database; and the distribution of gas cylinders as part of SAPWA’s nationwide clean energy campaign.
Dignitaries at the event included SAPWA State Coordinators from Ebonyi, Rivers, and Imo States; members of WALGON; wives of Paramount Rulers; past and present members of the Esop Mbong Iban Akwa Ibom State; wives of Commissioners; past female members of the State Executive Council; Directors from Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare and other distinguished personalities.
