TheCable

Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers state, has told women in the state that they are free to contest for any elective position of their choice.

The governor made this known on Friday while speaking on the sidelines of the special women day celebration in Port Harcourt.

Represented by Austin Tam-George, the state commissioner for information and communication, Wike said the event was an opportunity to celebrate the Rivers women “for their enduring spirit and resilience from the civil war experience till date.”

Tam-George said over the years, women in the state have “demonstrated hard work and professional excellence in various fields of endeavour.”

“This explains why the governor did not give political appointment to women on patronage, but on merit and excellence,” he said

“Seventy percent of the 35,000 beneficiaries of the enterprise loan given by the Rivers state government in 2016 were women.

“And record shows that the incentives were judiciously used by the beneficiaries.

“More empowerment programmes will be unveiled in the state for women to enhance sustainability in food sufficiency and economic self support.

“Women are free to pursue their ambitions in the political space as the state stands to gain from the unique perspectives and contributions that women could bring to the process of governance.”