Cabinet list: Osun group accuses Adeleke’s govt of being gender, youth blind

The administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has been accused of being gender and youth blind with the composition of the cabinet list sent by the governor to the state House of Assembly for confirmation as commissioners.

A Coalition of Civil Society Organisations under the aegis of The Osun Masterminds (TOM) made the accusation on Monday while speaking to the media during July’s edition of the State of the State address in Osogbo, the state capital.

The Executive Director of the group, Professor Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli, who addressed the media on behalf of TOM, lamented that only two females were listed among the 25 names submitted to the lawmakers for screening and confirmation.

Oyedokun-Alli said: “We note with great disappointment that the Osun State Government, under Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke, has not been fair to the Women population in our dear State. We first noted this lopsidedness when the House of Assembly was inaugurated in June. All twenty-six Members of the House are surprisingly men, in a State where women have been known to play important roles in the political and governance process.

Read also: Adeleke forwards list of commissioner nominees to Osun Assembly after 8 months

“A cursory look up the higher echelons of government and one will be tempted to ask whether the Adeleke government has an agenda against the women of our dear State. From Governor to Deputy Governor, to Secretary to the State Government and to the Chief of Staff, none is female.

“To further deepen our fears about the Adeleke government’s wrong handling of the gender inclusion topic, only two women made a list of twenty-five Commissioner nominees in an urbane State like ours. This translates to many steps backwards in the country’s pursuit of a gender-balanced public service.

“We are deeply troubled that the government of Sen. Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke has postured itself as an anti-female government. Are the prestigious women of our dear State not qualified to be in positions of governance? Are they just good as political cheerleaders, to dance and sing at rallies? This government must do better to reassure the female population in Osun State and the global community, that it does not hate women and will give them prominent roles to play in government.”

Also, a leader of the group, Ologun Ayodeji, while fielding questions from journalists, described the list as not youths-inclusive.

“It is also unfortunate that none of the name listed represented the youth constituency in the state and one wonders whether it is the elderly people that populated the list that will head the Ministry of youth in the state. In other words, the list is “gender and youths blind”, Ayodeji added.

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