PRINCESS GLORIA AKOBUNDU EXTOLS PRESIDENT TINUBU FOR APPOINTING OVER 40 FEMALE MINISTERS, HEADS OF AGENCIES

 

35 PERCENT AFFIRMATIVE ACTION: PRINCESS GLORIA AKOBUNDU EXTOLS PRESIDENT TINUBU FOR APPOINTING OVER 40 FEMALE MINISTERS, HEADS OF AGENCIES 

Hon. Princess Gloria Akobundu, PhD, a key member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council Women Mobilisation Wing and Secretary of the APC PCC Faith-Based Mobilisation (Christians), has lauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his significant strides in gender inclusion through the appointment of over 40 women as ministers and heads of key government agencies.

Speaking against the backdrop of ongoing women mobilisation efforts ahead of the 2027 general elections, Akobundu highlighted the appointments as a practical demonstration of the administration’s commitment to the long-standing 35 percent affirmative action principle for women in public life. 

She noted that the elevation of women into strategic ministerial, agency, and parastatal roles reflects a deliberate effort to broaden participation and leverage female leadership capacity in national development.

“President Tinubu has shown leadership by giving women substantial opportunities to serve at the highest levels of government,” Akobundu stated. 

“The appointment of over 40 female ministers and heads of agencies is a clear signal that competence and inclusion can go hand in hand. This moves us closer to the 35 percent affirmative action benchmark that Nigerian women have long advocated for.”

Akobundu, a former National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the African Union Development Agency–New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD) Nigeria, linked the appointments to broader gains under the Renewed Hope Agenda. 

She pointed to women now occupying influential positions across critical sectors, including ministers, directors-generals and CEO of agencies such as the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and various portfolios covering women affairs, industry, trade, investment, education, culture, and foreign affairs.

She stated that these placements not only advance gender equity but also strengthen governance by bringing diverse perspectives into policy formulation and implementation. 

According to her, the appointments complement other women-focused interventions, including social protection programmes, education loans through NELFUND, and empowerment initiatives that have reached millions of Nigerian women and youth.

_Akobundu used the opportunity to urge women across the country, particularly in the South-East, to sustain grassroots mobilisation in support of the President’s re-election bid. She described continuity as essential to consolidating the reforms already underway and completing the transformation process.

_“Nigeria is on the path of renewed greatness,” she said. “Continuity is essential if we are to complete the transformation that has begun. I urge women voters everywhere to ensure the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the consolidation of the good works already set in motion.”_

Her comments come amid heightened political activities, including the recent APC Women Stakeholders’ Mobilisation and Empowerment Pre-Inaugural Summit in Abuja, where over 500 women support groups collapsed their structures into the APC Presidential Campaign Council Women Wing and formally endorsed the President for a second term.

While Nigeria’s National Gender Policy and earlier judicial pronouncements have set a 35 percent target for women’s representation in appointive positions, Akobundu maintained that the current scale of female appointments under the Tinubu administration represents meaningful progress that deserves recognition and further expansion.

She called on stakeholders to continue advocating for deeper inclusion while supporting policies that empower women economically and politically, insisting that sustained female participation remains vital to national prosperity.