Oladunni Odu, Secretary to the Ondo State Government (SSG), has said the state is ripe for a female governor.
Speaking at an interactive session with journalists of the Correspondents chapel, Akure, the state capital, on Thursday, Odu clamoured for the appointment of more women into political positions.
Odu, who is the first female to be appointed SSG in the history of the state, said women were important in society and their leadership skill and qualities would always bring about desirable changes and development.
She said, “I am so confident that having the first female governor will not be a difficult thing. It depends on the people and their mindsets and the way we talk to people.
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“If you as journalists have gone far and wide and see what happens in other climes, you will keep telling people that it is high time we made a woman the governor of the state.”
Odu added that no woman had been elected as substantive governor since the return of democracy in 1999 to Nigeria.
She, however, said she is the best for the governorship position and ready to take over from Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, who will be rounding off his second term under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Let us test a woman. The trailblazing character of Ondo state will start from all of us to convince people, why they should look towards that direction.”
“And you are not just talking about anyhow woman but someone whom you have tried and tested. Somebody who has been around here, somebody who knows her onion, somebody who knows the system.
“Because I am bold to say that of all the people who have come out to be aspirants, none of them is as exposed to governance as myself. I have been around this place, in and out of governance in the last 27 years. So, I know what governance is.
“The men have done very well, I am not disputing that but all I am saying is that we should try women,” she added.
While noting that gender constitutes an important unit of electoral and political demography, the SSG hailed President Bola Tinubu for aligning with the inclusiveness goal and the 35% affirmation agenda with the appointment of women in his cabinet.
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