Erstwhile First Lady of Benue State, Chief (Mrs.) Eunice Ortom, PhD, has urged women to give the Government of Benue State, led by Fr. Hyacinth Alia, Executive Governor, applause for making history in appointing a woman to the office of Secretary to the State Government (SSG).
In October last year, Fr. Alia appointed Mrs. Deborah Serumun Aber, a legal practitioner, as the first female SSG in the state.
Mrs. Ortom, while speaking at a town hall meeting to endorse the “Reserved Seats Bill to Increase Women Participation in the Legislature and Constitutional Reform” at the College of Health Sciences Auditorium, Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu University Makurdi said appointing a woman to the position was “a big deal for women.”
The erstwhile First Lady was represented by Hon (Mrs.) Torkwase Ikyaator.
“I want us to give the present government a big round of applause because it has done something that has never been done by giving a woman the position of SSG,” she said, urging the party to stand up to give a better applause for “this big deal.”
She went on to say that Benue women have agreed and are ready to move the bill until it becomes law.
“We shall participate fully in whatever way or manner Benue State is to do for the aim of this bill to be achieved,” she assured while calling on women to work the talk.
The town hall meeting was organised by the League of Women Voters of Nigeria (NILOWV) in collaboration with other women’s groups.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Aber has described efforts to ensure legislation to reserve seats for women in the Legislature as “a noble cause.”
According to the SSG, history has shown that women are the voters. “And because we are the voters, we should be seen to vote for ourselves,” she said.
Mrs. Aber used the medium to defuse the belief that women don’t support women. According to the her, “Women support women, and women must support women to ensure that we achieve the many agitations that we have out there”
She assured the party that Fr. Alia would support the bill, as he had shown by allowing several women to serve in his government.
