Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue has acknowledged that without the massive votes of women, he would not have won the state’s 2023 governorship election.

Mr Alia stated this on Saturday in Makurdi during the launch of the 774 Explode Project, an initiative of First Lady Oluremi Tinubu.

The 774 Explode Project is being promoted by Mary Alile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) national woman leader.

The governor said without the massive votes of women, he and President Bola Tinubu would not have won elections in 2023 and, therefore, reassured them of their continued support.

He said since he did not have a first lady, all great women of Benue State were his first ladies, while Mrs Tinubu was the mother of the state.

Mr Alia assured women that he would continue to support them to attain their goals and realise their potential.

On the 774 Explode Project, Mr Alia said his administration would ensure that Benue remained number one in its implementation nationwide.

He said after training and skills acquisition by the women; they would each receive N500,000 take-off support from the state government.

He commended Mrs Tinubu for the initiative and the APC national woman leader for promoting it nationwide.

Inaugurating the project, Ms Alile said only five per cent of women were currently in governance in Nigeria.

She said out of the 469 National Assembly members, only 20 were women, adding that 15 out of the 36 current state houses of assemblies had no female representatives.

Ms Alile said women represented 49.3 per cent of the country’s population and, therefore, needed to wake up and make things happen for them.

(NAN)