Barely 24 hours after the Ondo State
Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, released the
list of 18 commissioner-nominees, some
women in the state on Wednesday faulted
the list, saying the governor was biased for
not including many women on the list.
The governor on Tuesday sent the names of
the 18 commissioner nominees to the Ondo
State House of Assembly for confirmation.
The list comprised 16 males and two
females.
The women, under the auspices of Ondo
State Women Must Count, kicked against the
development, saying women were being
marginalised by the governor.
In a statement issued in Akure, the state
capital, the leader of the women’s group,
Mrs. Olamide Falana, complained that the
inclusion of just two women in the list of 18
commissioner-nominees was unacceptable.
She said, “We express our displeasure and
find unacceptable the recent list of
commissioners submitted by Governor
Akeredolu to the state House of Assembly
for screening.
“The said list shows a total disregard for the
yearning of the women of the state who
hitherto had very high hopes of better
representation in numbers in the leadership
of the state, especially with the new thinking
the governor professed.”
Falana also faulted alleged lopsidedness in
the previous appointments made by the
governor, saying, “The government is merely
paying lip service to issues of gender parity
promised in its manifesto.
“This is the worst among all APC-governed
states where women have better deal, as
gender is not seen as a consideration in
development of Ondo State; whereas no
nation can develop to its full potential if
major stakeholders are not allowed the
space for due representation and
participation.
“We demand the 35 percent affirmative
action in all government appointments,”
Falana declared.
She called on Governor Akeredolu and other
party leaders to act quickly on the matter in
order to avert actions from the entire
women in the state.
In his reaction, the Chief Press Secretary to
the governor, Mr. Segun Ajiboye, said
Akeredolu was a true democrat who
recognised the role played by women
during the election period and would never
maginalise them.
He said, “Women will still get more
appointments and it is important that we
exercise patience and continue to support
the governor in the task of moving the state
forward.
“During the campaign and even since
inauguration, he (governor) has consistently
eulogised the role women played during the
election and he has demonstrated this in the
choice of women he has appointed as
commissioner-nominees, special advisers
and special assistants.”
