L-R: A judge of the Ado-Ekiti High Court, Justice Monisola Abodunde; Wife of Ekiti State Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi; Commissioner for Women Affairs, Social Development and Gender Empowerment, Mrs. Fola Richie-Adewusi; and Chairperson, International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Ekiti State Chapter,Mrs. Rita Ilevbare, during the federation's 50th anniversary public lecture delivered by the governor's wife, in Ado-Ekiti.
Wife of Ekiti State Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, has said that events unfolding after the June 21 governorship election in the state suggest that the election was manipulated from ‘source.’
In due course, she said that the full story of how the elections were allegedly manipulated against the Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, would be revealed.
The First Lady bared her mind while delivering a keynote address at the 50th anniversary public lecture and award ceremony of the state chapter of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA).
The theme of her address was “Women yesterday, today and tomorrow – the Ekiti experience.”
At the occasion, governor Fayemi; a legal practitioner, Mrs. Funmi Falana; and immediate past state President of the National Council of Women’s Societies, Mrs. Nike Obatayo, were given awards for their exemplary contributions to women rights and empowerment.
According the governor’s wife, many armchair analysts and commentators have opined that the electorate embraced patronage, popularly known as ‘stomach infrastructure’ as opposed to sustainable development during the last elections.
She said, “I would like to state that we have not heard the last about the election. Two weeks after the immediate confusion and hysteria of the June 21 elections, a picture has begun to emerge.
“This will, hopefully, reframe the debates emanating from and about Ekiti and the choices they allegedly made on that day.
“In due course, the full and real story of how the Ekiti elections of June 21 were manipulated from source will be revealed. There are many implications of Ekiti people having voted the way they supposedly did.”
She said that one of the implications, as it concerns women, was that all policies, laws and structures put in place over the past three years to protect them counted for nothing.
In an attempt to twist facts and hastily rewrite the history and legacy of Fayemi, she said some writers labeled the governor as one who was disconnected from the people of the state.
She noted, ““It will be very hard for any informed analyst writing about Ekiti to accuse Governor Fayemi of not working to improve the economy of Ekiti state.
“It, of course, serves the interest of some to hastily attempt to rewrite the history of Governor Fayemi as one who was disconnected from his people.
“The same people he built roads for, provided electricity and water for, provided healthcare for, developed education for and introduced social security payment for?
“The same people he visited in their 132 communities every year, without fail, to listen to their priorities for the next budget? The same people whose children he employed in the thousands through the Youth in Commercial Agriculture Development, Peace Corps and other youth-focused initiatives?”
The first lady was of the view that the governor only stood guilty of refusal to accept the supposed significance of stomach infrastructure, which she described as the unfortunate addition to the country’s political lexicon.
In the last three years and nine months, she said that she had partnered many stakeholders, including Ekiti FIDA, to draft legislative and policy frameworks that serve to guarantee women’s rights and gender equality in the state.
Listed among the gains of her engagements were the enactment of the Gender-based violence prohibition law, Equal opportunities Law and domestication of the National Gender Policy.
Through her initiative, the Ekiti Development Foundation, she said that thousands of women had been lifted out of poverty through capacity building, small business development schemes and social welfare programmes.
The governor’s wife said she had used her position to introduce and support the Multiple Births Trust Fund, the Food Bank/Soup Kitchens, economic empowerment and financial support of women and market women associations.
In another lecture titled ‘The Nigerian woman and the legal profession, breaking the glass ceiling,’ Justice Monisola Abodunde deplored the obstacles that inhibit women from attaining top positions in legal and other professions.
She said “One of the reasons for lack of women in positions of seniority in the legal profession is, undoubtedly, the fact that professional women still have the primary responsibility for housekeeping and child care.
“Despite the changing patterns of the workforce, it is still the case that women routinely perform a higher proportion of household chores and spend more time looking after children.”
She, however, challenged women lawyers to rise to the occasion and ensure that the development of law was properly influenced by the challenges facing women as a group in the society. ;
The Chairperson of FIDA commended the state government for putting in place necessary legal framework, policies and structures, which she said had strengthened gender equality and women empowerment in the state.
Ilevbare said the promotion of gender equality and women empowerment as a developmental goal was based on the argument that social justice was an important aspect of human welfare, which she said was worth pursuing.
She highlighted the achievements of the state chapter of FIDA to include legal support; school outreach; visit to orphanages; monitoring of GBV cases and documentation; visit to prisons and advocacy, among others
Last modified: July 10, 2014
