ABUJA – FIRST Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, Wednesday hosted over 809 female candidates from all the registered political parties nationwide and doled out undisclosed amount of money to each of the candidates for the April polls.

The candidates, who were treated to a dinner at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential villa, Abuja, are those that made the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, list for the 2011 general elections .

Mrs. Jonathan held dialogue with the female candidates who had won their primaries, the first in history by any First Lady in Nigeria.

Through her Women for Change and Development Initiative, she gave out undisclosed amount to five female governorship candidates, 88 women contesting for senatorial seats, 218 House of Representatives and 493 state Houses of Assembly candidates.

lookmangiw:

She gave 800 women vie for electoral post an undisclosed amount.let say the undisclosed amount is 500k times 800 women thats equal to 400million naira,where could she have gotten that from?

Ujujoan:

This woman is soooo dumb!

pro01:

That's rather unkind. She's still THE First Lady, regardless. Besides it's not such a bad initiative if you ask me.

Bensonite:

Gossip!gossip!!gossip! is that all we find in NL? The first lady openly invited all female aspirants of all political party for a dinner in affirmation to her pet project women for change initiative and someone hurried down here and say she gave them money at the end of the programme. Fellow gossips start assumming N500,000 each you could have as well assume N5 million each. This is certainly one of the things that makes sound minds to stop contributing in NL.

pro01:

That's rather unkind. She's still THE First Lady, regardless. Besides it's not such a bad initiative if you ask me.

texazzpete:


What if its taxpayers' money being handed out?

Yes, she's the first lady, which (in the Nigerian context) means that she has to have an expensive project that wil consume taxpayers money with little visible benefit.

pro01:

We can't conclude that the money donated to these women's  campaigns was directly obtained from the federation account. I mean we all know it takes nothing for any initiative from by the President or his wife to easily raise billions from a random Dangote here, or Otedola there. That aside, it can't be such a bad thing to assist female politicians with little campaign finances if that would help increase the level of female representation in politics. I guess it's all part of the 'women empowerment' that they have been clamouring for since time immemorial.

It seems we so despise this woman that absolutely nothing she does can make sense to anyone. Should not be so, if you ask me.

omo9ja1:

To me that was a good initiatives but the timing is wrong not when all parties are looking for their opponent to commit a blunder, why did she invite them to Aso rock, why not in Aba,Kano or Lagos in a convenient hotel and paid for it live coverage for people to see her addressing the women and urging women to take Nigerian politics centre stage,

I think if a credible woman can take all the presidential aspirant down without doubt she will win but corruption and madness will not allow us to give the women a chance to prove what they are worth.

Nigeria men don mess up big time.

pro01:

We can't conclude that the money donated to these women's campaigns was directly obtained from the federation account. I mean we all know it takes nothing for any initiative from by the President or his wife to easily raise billions from a random Dangote here, or Otedola there. That aside, it can't be such a bad thing to assist female politicians with little campaign finances if that would help increase the level of female representation in politics. I guess it's all part of the 'women empowerment' that they have been clamouring for since time immemorial.

It seems we so despise this woman that absolutely nothing she does can make sense to anyone. Should not be so, if you ask me.

Blazing99:

She cannt give out anything less than N500,000

And she gave it to 809 ladies. That's about 40.5 million naira.

Please could someone tell me how she came about this money or did her husband loan her.

This is the silly corruption and extravagant spending that wud continue if PDP still lays in power. I wonder why people are either myopic to the fact that we have a corrupt government in place and we need change.

pro01:

That's rather unkind. She's still THE First Lady, regardless. Besides it's not such a bad initiative if you ask me.

pro01:

That's rather unkind. She's still THE First Lady, regardless. Besides it's not such a bad initiative if you ask me.

cyril10:

Patience Goodluck, was not at the venue where the money was shared. It was the ministry of women affairs that disbursed the money to women in various political parties to assist their own for election purposes.

The money was shared by mrs Fayemi of Ekiti state governor with the help of Josephine Anennih the minister of women affairs, so please, Madam Patience Goodluck was not there.

Bensonite:

Gossip!gossip!!gossip! is that all we find in NL? The first lady openly invited all female aspirants of all political party for a dinner in affirmation to her pet project women for change initiative and someone hurried down here and say she gave them money at the end of the programme. Fellow gossips start assumming N500,000 each you could have as well assume N5 million each. This is certainly one of the things that makes sound minds to stop contributing in NL.

fried-rice:

few months ago she distributed 3 ship loads of rice to Abuja residents to vote Jonathan,
she must have very deep pockets,

Even if she gave anybody 5 naira as long as it comes from her pocket, that is fine by me, but as long as I know Mrs Jonathan is a self chosen unemployed person and how much is her husbands salary per annum that they can afford dolling out to politician