Oladunni Odu, the first female Secretary to the Ondo State Government (SSG), on Thursday says she remains the best woman to build on the “Redeemed Agenda” legacies of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu in the next year 2024 governorship election having been in and out of governance in the last 27 years in the state.
Odu, who disclosed this in Akure, the state capital, at an interactive session with members of the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the state, maintained that women’s leadership qualities would bring about desired change and rapid development because of the family-centric blood that flows in them.
Odu, the former Commissioner for Education, between 1995 and 1999, and Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), between September 2003 to February, 2009, however, noted that no woman has been elected to the position since the return to democracy in 1999.
The SSG, therefore, said she is the best woman fit for the governorship position after Akeredolu’s departure under the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
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She said; “Let us test a woman this time around, 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, non 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.
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“The men have done very well, I am not disputing that but all I am saying is that we should try women. A mother, a wife, a sister who has the compassion of motherhood in her. A woman who can’t hear the cry of her baby and turn a deaf ear. Somebody who knows her onion, somebody who will lift the state higher, somebody who is accessible, somebody who will be your own person, somebody who will listen to your plights and somebody who will actually work for the good of Ondo state.
“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 them. So it’s high time we make a woman the governor of Ondo state.”
Odu, who also hailed President Bola Tinubu for aligning with the inclusiveness goal and the 35 per cent affirmation agenda with the appointment of women in his cabinet, noted that the gender constitutes an important unit of electoral and political demography in the country.
The former Director, Federal Medical Centre, Asaba and Federal Commissioner, Public Complaints Commission added that any society that promotes the dignity of women and gives them the opportunity to thrive will experience rapid development.
