It gives me great pleasure to be here today, and I cannot thank you enough for the warm welcome I have received in this local government. I bring you all warm greetings from our Governor, HE Dr John Kayode Fayemi. As you have heard from the Hon. Commissioner for Women Affairs, Chief (Mrs) Moji Fafure, I am here to identify with you and thank you for your steadfast support for the administration of our Governor. I have gone round Ekiti State twice over the past 18 months, first to ask for your votes to enable our Governor, DR Kayode Fayemi come back for a second term. The second time was to seek your support for the re-election of President Mohammad Buhari. On both occasions you responded positively, and that is why we are now reaping the benefits of these wise decisions. As you all know, as soon as HE was sworn in again last year as Governor, I resumed my usual activities in support of women and children in Ekiti State. The second administration of Dr John Kayode Fayemi, also known as JKF2, has 5 pillars as follows:
- Governance
- Social Investments
- Agriculture and Rural Development
- Knowledge Economy
- Infrastructure Development
It is important to ensure that women benefit from the attention and investments that will be made in all these areas. Without the empowerment of women, it will be almost impossible for the State to achieve any of the Sustainable Development Goals which are so important for our future. Over the past year since I returned as First Lady of Ekiti State, I have been involved in the following activities:
- Advocacy for women to be involved in leadership and decision-making. This has resulted in us having 4 women in the Ekiti State House of Assembly and 1 in the National Assembly. In addition, we have women in the State Executive Council, on boards and parastatals and in the local government.
- Establishment of a Gender and Vulnerable Persons Unit (GVPU): With the support of the Ministry of Justice, Ekiti State, there is a GVPU based in my office coordinated by a Lawyer and a team of dedicated volunteers who help citizens in distress through timely interventions.
- Re-constitution of the Management Committee of the Gender Based Violence Prohibition Law and the State Child Rights Protection Committee. As Chair of the Management Committee for the implementation of the GBV Law, I am dedicated to ensuring that this very important legislation continues to protect vulnerable citizens from all forms of violence and abuse. Again, in partnership with the Ministry of Justice, we are working to ensure zero-tolerance for violence against women and children, particularly through the use of the recently re-opened Sex Offenders Register.
- HIV/AIDS Awareness: As Chair of the Ekiti State AIDS Control Agency (EKSACA) I lend my voice to HIV Awareness, prevention and treatment efforts in Ekiti State.
- Social Welfare Program: This is a monthly program from my office that provides financial assistance to people for medical bills, school fees, rent and other urgent needs. The target beneficiaries are widows, unemployed people and those who are incapacitated in various ways.
- Small Business Development Support: This is another monthly disbursement program which provides grants for economic empowerment to serious minded women and young people who have identified business opportunities but might not be eligible for a bank loan.
- Multiple Births Trust Fund: This is a project in collaboration with the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development. It provides financial and product support to poor families with multiple births and long-term investments for families with triplets and above.
- Elderly Outreach Program (Itoju Arugbo): There is an elderly outreach initiative which involves paying occasional visits to elderly citizens across the State. Through the Ekiti Development Foundation, there is a Food Bank initiative for the elderly known as Ounje Arugbo which will begin distributing food packages to elderly people in need across the State as from today.
- Keep Girls in School Campaign: This new advocacy initiative is aimed at creating awareness and mobilizing resources to ensure that girls stay in school for as long as possible.
- Anti-Female Genital Mutilation advocacy: I am currently involved in activities to remove Ekiti State from the list of States with a high prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation. Using a combination of community sensitization, awareness raising and economic empowerment activities, I support the efforts of the Ekiti State FGM Task Force. In preparation for this tour, we identified a number of traditional circumcisers in various local governments, who have agreed to publicly stop the practice and give up their tools. In exchange, we will provide economic empowerment opportunities for them. As a result of this collaboration between my office, the Ministry of Women Affairs and the Ekiti State office of the National Orientation Agency, today we will witness the first ever ‘Dropping the Blades’ ceremony in Nigeria.
- Cancer Prevention and Healthy Living: I am a passionate advocate for cancer prevention and healthy living, using various networks and platforms to promote these issues wherever I go as well as organizing regular screenings for women.
- Open-Defecation Champion: In a partnership with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Utilities, I am the Ekiti State Ambassador against open-defecation, a practice which has placed Ekiti on the high prevalence list but hopefully this will change for the better.
In light of all these developments, I decided to embark on this tour in order to do the following:
- COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
I wanted to visit you, share information on my activities and listen to your concerns and needs.
2. ADVOCACY
I seek your assistance and support in ensuring that the issues we are concerned about as a State are taken seriously. I am especially advocating for the following:
2.1: Health
- Taking our health seriously. Please visit our primary healthcare facilities for adequate care.
- Do regular breast self-examinations and follow up on anything suspicious
- Take a HIV test. Know your status.
2.2: Gender Based Violence
- Report incidents of sexual violence and do not cover up for suspects
- Please do not encourage or condone domestic violence, it leads to early deaths
- Please do not leave your female children with other people without ensuring their safety. Listen to them when they have a complaint
2.3: Keep Girls in School:
- Education is free in Ekiti State.
- Protect all the girls around you from sexual violence and exploitation
- Please do not condone early marriage due to poverty
- Do not send children out to hawk, particularly female children
- Allow pregnant school girls to stay in school or go back to school
2.4: Stop the practice of FGM
- FGM is totally unnecessary and it is against the law
- It is totally untrue that FGM prevents promiscuity
- FGM is harmful to women
2.5: Stop open-defecation.
- It is a shameful thing for Ekiti State to be high on the list of States with this problem
- Cleanliness is part of our values as Ekiti people. Ekiti ko egbin.
- The government will make water and toilet facilities available
2.6: Take care of the elderly
- Please take care of elderly people who have no one to care for them
- Send us names of indigent elderly people who we need to help
- I will be encouraging an ‘Adopt a Granny’ initiative whereby successful Ekiti people will take responsibility for an indigent elderly person in their community.
- EMPOWERMENT
In order to improve the economic well -being of women in our communities, on this tour, I will be supporting them with materials such as sewing machines, hair dryers, cookers, food warmers, and grinding machines. We will also provide grants for petty traders, delivery kits for pregnant women, sanitary towels for school girls, and food supplies for widows and the elderly. We will also be providing information on employment, loan and training opportunities. All political appointees have also agreed to make themselves available in their communities and to support you in any way they can. Please let us all work together and support our Governor’s vision for Ekiti. I am deeply grateful to all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), corporate organisations, community associations and individuals who have made this tour possible. May God almighty bless you and replenish you in every way.
Obirin Kete!
Ko sobirin, ko silu!
Obirin Kete!
No Women, No Nation!
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