The Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olubunmi Adelugba, has described the State as a model of women empowerment and inclusion in governance.
Rt. Hon. Adelugba in her message on the occasion of the International Women’s Day also advocated more women participation in politics for them to contribute their quota to state and national development.
The Speaker who congratulated women in the state for witnessing this year’s edition of the International Women’s Day said “the state legislature had contributed immensely to establishment of framework for women emancipation and political empowerment”.
She noted that the Ekiti State House of Assembly had ensured the passage of landmark laws like Gender Empowerment Law, Gender Based Violence Prohibition Law, Equal Opportunity Law, among others to give empowerment to women and remove encumbrances against their self fulfillment.
Rt. Hon. Adelugba noted that the laws had resulted in an unprecedented elevation of women to key political leadership positions in the State and established it as a model of women empowerment in Nigeria.
According to her, women presently occupy prominent political and career offices in Ekiti State including the Deputy Governor, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Secretary to the State Government, Accountant General of the State, President of the Customary Court of Appeal and Auditor General of the Local Governments.
The Speaker further noted that Ekiti presently has five Local Government/Local Council Development Areas Chairpersons, four women in the current House of Assembly while the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has six House of Assembly candidates.
Rt. Hon. Adelugba enjoined more women in the state to make use of the opportunity of the enabling environment provided by the laws to participate in politics and seek elective positions to add value to governance.