From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Nigerian First Lady Aisha Buhari has disclosed that the construction of the African First Ladies’ Peace Mission (AFLPM) Secretariat in Abuja will be completed in 11 months.
Mrs Buhari, who is also president of the AFLPM, disclosed this Monday at the signing of the contract for the construction of the secretariat in her office, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The contract for the five-storey building, whose sum was not disclosed, is to be executed by A & K Construction Company and will be sited along Airport Road in Abuja.
The first lady urged the contractors to keep to the projected completion date for the project and ensure that it is ready for inauguration by 2023.
Mrs Buhari had earlier welcomed the first Executive Secretary of the Mission, Mrs Oley Dibba Wadda, who resumed formally at the temporary secretariat of the AFLPM, domiciled within the Office of the First Lady at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to her, the mission is an organization for the African First Ladies purposely initiated and approved by the then OAU and now AU to promote peace in Africa.
“Mrs Awwada has been appointed as an executive secretary of the African First Ladies’ Peace Mission in accordance with the standard of ECOWAS and AU and any other international organization standard.
“She is to take charge of the mission and report back to me, to develop a strategic plan and activities for the progress of the mission. So, you’re welcome to Nigeria and you’re welcome to Africa’s First Ladies’ Peace Mission. So today we are going to have a formal handover from the Co-ordinator, Mrs Beatrice Bassey to Mrs Oley Wadda as the new executive secretary of the African First Ladies’ Peace Mission,” the First Lady said.
Responding, Wadda thanked the First Lady for the opportunity to work “with your team, and to work with the African First Ladies’ Peace Mission, to ensure that we amplify, we make visible, and that we are able to promote for the mission, the purpose, the vision of the African First Lady’s peace mission, including your legacy, as the current president of the African First Lady’s peace mission.
She promised to focus on development work, even though the mission is a humanitarian mission by supporting the initiatives of education, health, and youth empowerment, among others.
“Thank you for honouring me with this opportunity to work with you, to work with your team, and to work with the African First Ladies’ Peace Mission, to ensure that we amplify, we make visible and that we are able to promote further the mission, the purpose, the vision of the African First Ladies’ Peace Mission, including your legacy as the current President of the African First Ladies’ Peace Mission.
“Few areas that we would really want to focus on would be to enhance the visibility, to focus on development work, even though the mission is a humanitarian mission, but it will focus on development work. Supporting the initiatives of education, health, of youth empowerment, amongst others.
“So, we will need to make sure that the African First Ladies’ Peace Mission becomes the pillar that supports the AU Heads of State, as well, to ensure that the areas of human capital are prioritized, especially, given the role that the first ladies will play in the different countries, but also as a continent, going forward,” Wadda said.
