Mrs Titi Abubakar, wife of the 2023 presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Atiku Abubakar, said her Women Trafficking and Child Labour Eradication Foundation (WOTCLEF) project does not receive the support it deserves because she is married to the former vice president.
She stated this in Lagos at the weekend during her conferment with the Champion 2023 Leadership (Heart of Gold) Award by the Champion Newspapers.
She stated her avowed determination to see the eradication of twin evils of women trafficking and child labour across the globe.
Abubakar said she had been running the foundation she created about 24 years ago with stipend provided for her upkeep by the husband.
“I have been doing this job for 24 years and nobody has ever recognised me. They have not called me for recognition and I said to myself that I’m just doing God’s work that my reward is in heaven.
“There was a day I put an advert in the newspaper that these children I’m taking care of are not my children but Nigerian children that even if it is one penny, they should all contribute and still nobody contributed anything.
”They said after all, I’m Atiku’s wife. It is one thing to be married to Atiku and it is another thing to have the passion to do what I’m doing. And because I have passion for what I am doing, I will continue to strive.
“When I was in the Villa, I was feeding these children with government’s food and out of government; I’m still taking care of these children.”
She thanked the organisers of the award for recognising her and her relentless battle against women trafficking and child labour.
“It is my utmost pleasure and delight to be here today as a recipient of Champion Newspapers’ Leadership Award. I am the champion of champions today. Champion Newspaper, you are the only one that brought me out to come into a gathering like this and for people to donate to my cause and to the Nigerian cause because these children are not my children and they are all over the country.
“It is my utmost pleasure and delight to be here today as a recipient of Champion Newspapers’ Leadership Award 2023, being conferred on me today in recognition of my relentless fight against the twin evils of human trafficking and child labour,” she added.
