CULLED FROM NEWSHEREANDTHERE MAGAZINE
By Precious Oham
Women across the world have brazed up to prove themselves competent in various positions.
These set of women are regarded as advocates of women development.
They in various capacities displayed knowledge, attributes natural endowment to contribute their quota to National development in their environs.
Though, the ginger and clamour for gender development is waxing stronger in the present dispensation, it has been from the time immemorial. The likes of Moremi in Ile- Ife of the older days, Queen Amina of Zaria, Efunsetan Aniwura, Funmilayo Ransom Kuti Mariama Ba,and of course a present day Gender advocate, Erelu Bisi Fayemi to mention a few.
Through their antecedents, they have proved to be source of inspirations and encouragement to gender advocates and stakeholders in terms of women and girl child development.
Engineer Kemi Elebute-Halle is another role model in gender advocacy who through her doggedness, hardwork determination has proved that women are ready to take up challenges, new task and aspirations for advancement and innovative ideas for societal development.
Kemi Elebute- Halle was also described as “one of the technically-gifted politician of her generation”
She was born into the family of High Chief Adeniran Elebute, the Apelua of Irutu Oke Ayedun Ekiti in Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State.
Elebute- Halle studied Civil Engineering at Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUTMINNA) in Niger State. As a Youth Corper in Adamawa state, she won the State’s Best Corps Member of the Year 2009 Award during her mandatory year of Youth Service with PW Nigeria Limited, a Construction Company in the State.
The Ekiti-born philanthropist is the founder and grand matron of a non-govermental Organisation, NGO under the aegis of Dominion Group.
The NGO seeks to impact lives in the grassroots through empowerment programs helping the needy and the orphans by providing them with food and clothes.
Engineer Kemi Elebute Halle has worked in the Nigerian government since 2001, in different departments such as the Ministry of Environment assistant quantity surveyor, the assistant site engineer at the Ekiti State Ministry of Works and Transport. Between 2010 and 2012, she also worked as the quantity surveyor at Julius Berger Plc Abuja.
Engineer Kemi Elebute Halle is a Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN).
During the last governorship election in Ekiti state Engineer Kemi Elebute -Halle participated in the primary election of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) and emerged the party’s flag bearer for the 2022 gubernatorial election.
She became the first female candidate to contest for the gubernatorial seat which earned her an indelible and unprecedented mark in the history of the state.
Elebute’s wealth of experience in politics can be traced back to her family background as she was born into a Royal family.
Her grandfather was said to be the oldest King in Ekiti State which paved the way for her to have had cause to interact with many politicians through whom she learnt the art of politicking.
Despite failing to clinch the coveted seat as the number one citizen of Ekiti State, Engr. Elebute said she had plans to turn the state into an economic hub.
One of the things that prompted her to make a swift decision according to her was passion to serve and for equity’s sake.
In one of the interviews she granted to newsmen during the electioneering period, she said: “When I saw what transpired among those parties and how people were forced against their own wishes coupled with the failure to follow due democratic processes of politics ignited my decision to contest.
“In addition, the clamoring by the residents of the state for a better system of governance further made me to join the governorship race.
“If I am elected as the Governor, there will be equal rights for everybody in the State and we will ensure we follow due process in getting things done. I will also ensure there is inclusion for our women, youths and pensioners to live a better life. In addition, we are going to ensure that Ekiti State moves forward agriculturally and educationally.
“We are going to embark on long, immediate and medium measures to tackle these two important areas if elected. We will provide an enabling environment for businesses to thrive and provide employment opportunities for our youths to be gainfully employed”
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She championed the course for women inclusiveness in governance, hence, one of her dreams to break the age-long tradition of having failed to produce a female governor in the country.
“I want to appeal to the residents of the state to support my aspiration because since the creation of the State in 1996, men have been ruling us and they have done their best. This is the first time a woman is coming out to contesting as a gubernatorial candidate.
“Women should equally be given space to become the Governor of Ekiti State. If God knows that a man will be capable enough to make the whole world a perfect place, He would not have created a woman. Therefore, without the women, the world cannot be a perfect place.
“Furthermore, women are gifted with the ability to multi task and they are the only human beings under the sun that God gave the strength to reproduce. I will further suggest that there should be more inclusion of women in politics as well as decision making and it should begin from Ekiti State.”
On her NGO, Dominion
The Nigerian philanthropist is the founder and grand matron of the Dominion Group. The organization seeks to impact the lives of her community through empowerment programs. Additionally, she helps the needy and the orphans by providing them with food and clothes.
During her campaign, she donated Over 400 solar powered electricity to over 400 homes in Ekiti.
According to her, it was time for all the deprived homes in Ekiti state to enjoy dividends of democracy, with a talk and do governor.
How Contesting Ekiti Governorship Election Brought Her Parents Together After 41 Years of Separation!
Her governorship ambition however took another turn to end the age long separation of her parents for over four decades
The parents – Princess Talabi Grace Oluwatosin and Chief Adeniran Samuel Elebute were reunited after forty one (41) years of separation.
Astonished Elebute- Halle at the grand wedding event she organised for the reunion of the parents stated: “If somebody had told me this could happen, I’d say it’s a movie.
“My parents had been separated for over 40 years, since I was a baby that’s why I said during the last governorship election in Ekiti that I won greatly because if not for the election that I came out to contest, they wouldn’t have had opportunity to sit down, talk to each other or do things together and see that they needed to come together; the election was the trigger to this.
“So I won the election in a big way. I didn’t even know they were planning a reunion, but when I heard it having spent millions of naira on election, I thought why not celebrate them when they are still alive because it would be of no importance when they are dead. So I decided to do it lavishly for them.
“I had a lot of surprises for them spent hundreds of millions, car gifts each worth N15m. “Both of them got brand new cars from me, it’s better they are celebrated when they are still alive for them to witness it.” She said.