Rep. decry low number of women in National Assembly

Gbenga Sodeinde, Ado-Ekiti

A member of the House of Representatives, Rep. Wumi Ogunlola, representing Ekiti West Central Federal Constituency has decried the low level of women representation in the National Assembly.

Rep. Oguntola revealed that there are only 10 female members of the House of Representatives out of the 360 members, lamenting that there are not more than six female senators out of 109 senators.

She urged women to always come out to fill both executive and legislative positions, saying that “I expect my sisters to come out and aspire to positions of authority as a lawyer and a democrat.

I know that it is our legitimate right to seek this; we have every right like our male counterparts to become legislators, governor and even presidents.

“Although, this goes beyond just seeking positions, you must also make yourself relevant.

People will rate you according to your activities and usefulness in the society and the will also determines the assignment that will be entrusted into your hands.”

The female lawmaker made this revelation during a thanksgiving service in her honour at the Emmanuel Anglican Church, Ijero Ekiti.

The event was attended by top government functionaries, including the First Lady of Ekiti state, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, the former Deputy Governor of Ekiti state, Prof. Modupe Adelabu, prominent traditional rulers and some members of the National Assembly

Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, V. A. Adepoju during his sermon charged those in government to have the fear of God by keeping faith with the pact they have with the electorate.

According to the cleric, the mandate given to political leaders is to protect the interest of the people, asserting that they can only succeed if they keep faith with this assignment.

He said that “I know that the government cannot meet all the demands of the electorate, however, it must be seen that you have done your best as faithful servants.

If you see yourselves as servants, you will put service before self-interest. This is the only factor that will determine your success as a leader with the people’s mandate.”

Speaking with newsmen, Rep. Oguntola promised to make the electorate the focus of his tenure in office as she was humbled by the decision of the people to entrust her with their mandate.

She added that “I was a member of the state House of Assembly and now, I have been given a position of higher authority and because of this I am more than ready to justify their trust in me. I owe the present position to God and my people and I must not let them down.

“The least I can do is to give them quality representation and make sure they enjoy the dividends of democracy; that is what my people expect from me. I pray God to strengthen me in order to meet their yearnings and aspirations.”

Rep. Ogundola expressed confidence in the leadership of Femi Gbajabiamila as the speaker of the ninth House of Representatives.

According to her, the new speaker is a man of experience, who has climbed every rung of the ladder to master the nitty-gritty of the leadership in the National Assembly.