BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
Some groups of women under the platform, National Council for Women Societies, on Thursday, met with the Osun State Council of Traditional Rulers and lamented non-election of women into any of the key political positions in the state during the last governorship and general elections.
The groups, comprising of about 15 different women populated organisations, visited the monarchs during their monthly meeting at the Finance Building of the Osun State Secretariat, Osogbo and urged them to use their influence and prevail on the state governor, Ademola Adeleke, to consider appointment of considerable women in his cabinet.
According to the Nigerian women, it was disheartening for them to realise that there is no female among the 26 State House of Assembly members and also none elected for National Assembly seats from the state.
The women, in their separate remarks, called on the traditional rulers to assist them in influencing more emergence and inclusion of women in politics and governance in the state in order for the welfare of the female gender to me more prioritised.
Speaking, the President of the National Council for Women Societies, Adeola Ayoola, commended Governor Adeleke for appointing more women as Permanent Secretaries, and called on the monarchs to prevail on the governor and political parties to ensure that women are elected as Chairmen of local government areas and councillors of wards in the forthcoming elections.
Ayoola said, “Kabiesis, we have come to you to beg you to make our voices heard in the society. We observed that in Osun State House of Assembly, there is no woman and saw thing in the National Assembly. We are not happy about this. Women issues should be prioritised and we want you to appeal to the government to assist us and give women proper representation in governance and inclusion in politics.”
In her remarks, Mrs Lola Wey, the Executive Director of Eco Centre for Transformation and Empowerment Initiative, charged the traditional rulers to prevail on Governor Adeleke to appoint a good number of women as his Commissioners, Special Advisers and Special Assistants as means of empowerment.
Similarly, the state Coordinator of Inter-African Committee on Eradication of Harmful Traditional Practices Affecting Women and Children, Mrs. Aduke Obelawo, decried rampant cases of violence against women and traditional harmful practices and urged the monarchs to launch campaign against the trend in their various domains.
The representative of persons with disabilities in the state, Mrs. Funmilayo Abdullahi, called on the Council of Obas to prevail on Governor Adeleke to adopt the disability bill, saying the domestication of the bill would save many PWDs from begging for alms.
For the President of Women Engineers in Osun, Ayo Akani, there are lots of female professionals who can do exploits in governance and sought for their appointments into key offices by the present administration.
Reacting on behalf of the Council of Obas in Osun, Orangun of Oke-Ila, Oba Adedokun Abolarin promised to look into the complaints of the groups and advised them to re-organise themselves and participate more in politics and whenever it’s time for election, they should vie for positions and mobilise for their emergence.
Also, the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, called on the women to always be submissive to their husbands.
