Why Ondo needs me as first female governor in 2024, by SSG, Odu

.Hails Tinubu for appointing more women into cabinet

The Secretary to Ondo State Government (SSG), Oladuni Odu, yesterday, advocated the need for the electorate in the state to allow a woman to emerge as governor in 2024 for a fresh perspective in the governance of the state.

The SSG, while highlighting the reasons a woman should be given the opportunity to lead the state after the tenure of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, said it was high time for the state to break the glass ceiling and embrace inclusive leadership.

Odu, who is the first female SSG in the state, spoke during an interactive session with members of the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ondo State Council.

She said she remains the best person to build on the “Redeemed Agenda” legacies of Akeredolu, having been in and out of governance in the last three decades.

The chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who further argued that women leaders tend to bring a different approach to problem-solving, often prioritising issues such as education, healthcare and social welfare, said no woman had been elected to the governorship position since the return to democracy in 1999, stressing that she is the best fit for the position.

She said: “Let us test a woman. The trailblazing character of Ondo State will start with all of us convincing people why they should look in that direction. And you are not just talking about any woman, but someone whom you have tried and tested. Somebody who has been around here, knows her onion and the system.

“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, for 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.

“A mother, a wife, a sister, who has the compassion of motherhood in her. A woman that cannot hear the cry of her baby and turn a deaf ear.
“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. You, as journalists, who have gone far and wide and seen what happens in other climes, can tell people that it’s high time we make a woman the governor of the state.”

Odu, while noting that gender constitutes an important unit of electoral and political demography, hailed President Bola Tinubu for aligning with the inclusiveness goal and the 35 per cent affirmation agenda with the appointment of women into his cabinet.