Leke Abejide, the House of Representatives member for Yagba Federal Constituency in Kogi State, has announced plans to empower one million Yoruba residents across all 44 local government areas of Kano State.
The lawmaker said the initiative would also help mobilise support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election campaign in the 2027 presidential election.
Abejide made the disclosure while speaking to journalists at the palace of the Oba of Yoruba in Kano, shortly after inaugurating a 27-member committee to oversee the programme statewide.
He explained that the scheme would focus on widows, the less privileged, vulnerable persons, youths, women, artisans, entrepreneurs and other residents requiring economic assistance. The goal, he said, is to deliver practical support that improves the economic wellbeing of the Yoruba community in Kano.
Abejide urged the committee to operate with transparency, accountability, fairness and integrity. “This committee must be transparent and upright. We must ensure that the empowerment gets to the people who genuinely need it, particularly our widows, the less privileged and vulnerable members of our community,” he stated.
The lawmaker described his long-standing ties to Kano, noting that he had lived and conducted business in the state long before entering politics. “I belong to two states in Nigeria, Kogi State and Kano State. Kano has been an important part of my life. I lived here, did business here, and built strong relationships with the people. This is therefore an opportunity for me to give back to the people,” Abejide said.
He added that the programme would blend grassroots empowerment, community engagement and political mobilisation, with the committee coordinating activities across the 44 local government areas. Abejide said he would continue mobilising Yoruba residents in Kano behind Tinubu while rolling out the empowerment efforts.
Committee coordinator Hon. Seyi Olorunsola pledged that members would prioritise beneficiaries’ interests over personal ones and work collectively to meet the programme’s objectives. He said the initiative would create a platform for engaging the Yoruba community, boosting participation and delivering economic support, especially to widows and the less privileged.
A similar one-million-resident empowerment initiative linked to Abejide was reported in August 2026, when a 21-member committee was inaugurated for the same purpose in Kano.
