Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko has said that his administration will soon enact a law that will abolish “demonic” suppression of widows in the State.
The Governor disclosed this at the State Cultural Centre in Akure, venue of a Public Service Lecture, to commemorate the 2015 Public Service Day Celebration, with the theme: “The Role of Public Service in Women Empowerment, Innovation and Accessible Service Delivery”.
Dr Mimiko condemned the high rate of abuse and molestation of widows by their late husbands’ families, thereby depriving them of all the properties of their husbands.
Governor Mimiko, who stressed the need for positive empowerment of women to the advantage of their families, however detested empowerment that will lead to the breakdown of family values. While advocating the emplacement of policy that will make the role of women in the society easier, Dr Mimiko noted that the Abiye Safe Motherhood programme of his administration has been mainstreamed to enhance women empowerment for sustainable growth and development.
The Governor, who submitted that every impediment against the empowerment of women such as religious and cultural factors must be well addressed to pave way for women survival, said that his government has recorded more than 70% reduction in maternal mortality.
Dr Mimiko also threw his weight behind the setting up of crèches in every establishment in line with the 21st century component to enable women give adequate care to their infant. In her lecture titled “Public Service and Women Empowerment”, the guest speaker, Dr (Mrs) Modupe Ajayi called on government at all levels to develop comprehensive, robust and meaningful legislation and policies that will strengthen the participation of women in public service in decision making and service delivery.
Modupe Ajayi, who is the registrar of the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) also stressed the need to make employment policies more women- friendly, promote programmes and projects that will further develop the potentials of women and provide technical support and mentoring of women in skill acquisition and improvement among others.
Earlier in his welcome speech, the State’s Head of Service, Mr Toyin Akinkuotu described the Public Day Celebration as a unique annual event that provides avenue to appraise the relevance of the public service as a tool for socio-economic development of the nation.
He noted that the Mimiko administration has deliberately encouraged and motivated public servants for improved service delivery, stressing that workers’ welfare has continued to receive prompt government attention.
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