‘Deputy Governorship Slots Should Be Reserved For Women —Ondo First Lady, Betty Akeredolu

BETTY Akeredolu, wife of the Ondo state governor Rotimi Akeredolu has demanded that slots for deputy governors in Nigeria should be reserved for women alone to promote gender inclusion.

Akeredolu made the demand at a press conference in Owerri, the Imo state capital, on Friday, April 28.

The conference was organised by a non-governmental organisation, Imo Women Matter, of which Akeredolu is the convener.

“We demand that the deputy governorship slots of all the 36 states in Nigeria be exclusively reserved for women so that they can also have a voice like the men. We are uniquely gifted by God. Why are we being suppressed? Nobody should be less empathetic about this serious issue. Women need to be delivered from socio-economic extinction,” she said.

She believed that women were being marginalised, especially in issues around politics and decision-making, despite achieving great feats globally.

“Look at the likes of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who is currently the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the late Dora Akunyili, and of course, the legendary Chimammanda Ngozi Adichie. These are great women of substance who have the wherewithal to effect change.

“Unfortunately, the efforts of the several women bodies including Nigeria Council of Women Society (NCWS) have yielded little or no good results because of the marginalisation meted out to them. It is high time this was put to a permanent stop,” she said.