From Priscilla Ediare,Ado-Ekiti
Wife of Ekiti State Governor, Dr Olayemi Oyebanji, has said that the government of the state will continue to prioritize the welfare of women and girls in the state, even though there is still much to be done to achieve gender balance in the state.
The First Lady made the statements in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, on Wednesday, during an event marking the 2023 International Women’s Day, with the theme, “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for gender equality,”
She said, “This year’s theme emphasizes the need to empower women and girls around the world through the use of technology and education. In this digital age, women and girls must not be left out in digital education.
“The Ekiti State Government has taken impressive strides in promoting gender equity, fairness, and justice. However, gender equality and women’s empowerment remain unfinished business in the state. This implies that there is still much ground to cover as touching gender inequality.
“The government has made the welfare of women a top priority in its Seven-Point Agenda, and it will continue to prioritize it in its development plan. The government is committed to ensuring that women have equal access to opportunities in all aspects of human endeavours, particularly in education, politics, and socio-economic participation, resulting in a more gender-balanced, diverse, and inclusive society.”
The governor’s wife who used the occasion of the celebration to speak on the coming state Assembly election, called on all women in the state to go out en masse and vote for all the candidates of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in the March 18 House of Assembly poll.
 “On this note, I encourage all women in attendance to support all APC candidates, especially our women candidates, in the upcoming Ekiti State House of Assembly election to enhance governance and add a voice towards advocacy for better opportunities for the women.
 “Women make up a significant portion of the world’s population, and their active participation in all spheres of life, be it politics, socio-economic activities, among others, will go a long way in promoting gender equality”.
In her address, State Deputy Governor, Monisade Afuye, called on the government at all levels to adopt the Ekiti model of women inclusion in governance and politics to enhance the development of women folks in the country.
She assured the women that Governor Biodun Oyebanji would continually partner them to promote gender balancing and curb incidences of domestic violence, sexual molestations, cultural encumbrances and other socio-economic ills militating against them.
 
On her part, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social  Development, Mrs Adeloye Femi-Olusola said the day was designated for the celebration of international women’s day in Ekiti State.
Femi-Olusola said,  “The day is significant in the sense that it is set aside to celebrate the achievement of women in all areas of life, politically, socially, academically .
 
 
” That is why we are gathering here today to celebrate our women courtesy of the governor of the state, Mr Biodun Oyebanji. We have his support and he gave us everything needed to celebrate the day . We also have our mother here, the wife of the governor, Dr Olayemi Oyebanji as the leader of the women in the state, so, we are all happy and elated.”