Women leaders in Ondo State have been challenged to take stock of their contributions to the administration of Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa and identify gaps in their performance towards advancing the government’s development agenda.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Dr Bosede Osamaye, gave the charge at a one-day capacity-building workshop and retreat organised for female leaders across the state.
The programme, held at Nibanola Motherland and Resort, Ondo State, brought together female permanent secretaries, elected and appointed political office holders, heads of government agencies and parastatals, board chairmen and members, heads of non-governmental organisations and political support groups, among others.
Dr Osamaye said the retreat, approved by Governor Aiyedatiwa, was designed to provide women occupying strategic positions with an opportunity to assess their performance, identify areas requiring improvement and strengthen collaboration towards achieving the administration’s objectives for women.
Dr Osamaye appreciated Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and his wife Mrs Oluwaseun Aiyedatiwa for the opportunity given to work to learn and interact for more productivity and contribution to leadership positions they occupied.
She said the gathering was particularly aimed at determining how much women leaders had contributed to the governor’s efforts to improve the lives of women and promote development across the state.
The commissioner said women occupying strategic positions must constantly evaluate whether they had effectively discharged the responsibilities entrusted to them.
She said, “The objective of this capacity-building workshop is simple. First, it is to assess how far we have assisted the Governor of Ondo State, His Excellency, Dr Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, to achieve his agenda towards our women.
“We are all occupying different positions that are strategic to the development and empowerment of women. How have we succeeded in achieving or actualising the responsibilities that have been given to us? That is the first objective.”
According to her, the retreat would also enable participants to share experiences, identify challenges and develop strategies for addressing issues affecting women in their various sectors.
Dr Osamaye stressed that the programme was not organised merely for social interaction, but to encourage women leaders to learn from one another and improve their impact on governance and society.
“As commissioner, I cannot do everything. I can only play my role as commissioner. Every one of you in this room has a great role and responsibility to assist the Governor of Ondo State to achieve his desire and his will for women in Ondo State,” she said.
Delivering the keynote address, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, Prof. Ebunoluwa Adejuyigbe, urged women leaders to embrace transformational leadership and use their positions to create lasting positive changes.
Speaking on the theme, “Transformational Leadership and Women’s Empowerment,” Adejuyigbe said women must move beyond occupying leadership positions to using such positions to influence institutions, improve public services and transform society.
She noted that effective leadership was not determined by gender but by vision, courage, competence, integrity and the ability to mobilise people towards achieving common goals.
The Vice-Chancellor cited Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Prof. Grace Alele-Williams, the late Prof. Dora Akunyili, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Senator Oluremi Tinubu and former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as examples of women who had broken barriers through purposeful leadership.
Prof Adejuyigbe urged women leaders to support and mentor one another, stressing that the success of one woman should not be seen as a threat to another.
She said women who attained leadership positions should create opportunities for others to rise, noting that the true test of leadership was the ability to raise people who could eventually surpass their mentors.
“Positions are not trophies; they are platforms to deliver results,” she said.
The Don urged the participants to combine empathy with firmness, humility with confidence and competence with integrity.
She also cautioned against transactional leadership driven by personal interests, saying transformational leaders should focus on the positive impact they make on people and the institutions under their care.
The guest lecturer, Prof. Bridget Awosika of Adeyemi Federal University of Education, Ondo, commended Governor Aiyedatiwa for bringing women leaders from different sectors together to deliberate on leadership and development.
Prof Awosika recalled that the previous workshop focused on “Unity of Purpose,” saying the latest retreat offered participants an opportunity to evaluate how well they had implemented the lessons and contributed to the success of the administration’s EASE Agenda.
She urged women leaders to work together, avoid unnecessary conflicts and support one another in their respective workplaces.
The lecturer said the achievements of the government could not be attributed to one individual, stressing that the collective contributions of women and other public servants were critical to the progress of the administration.
She also advised women in leadership against becoming oppressive or treating their subordinates as inferior, urging them instead to mentor and empower younger colleagues.
Prof Awosika charged participants to identify their achievements and shortcomings and address areas she described as “grey areas” in order to improve their contributions to the development of the state.
The State President of the National Council for Women’s Societies, NCWS, Oluseyi Odusola, urged women and non-governmental organisations to take greater responsibility for mobilising resources to support development initiatives.
Odusola said women must not rely solely on the government, stressing that the government alone could not meet all the needs of society.
She said the NCWS belonged to women across professions and social backgrounds, urging members to look beyond their immediate responsibilities and prepare for future challenges.
“As women, we must look beyond our immediate roles and understand what is happening around us. We must prepare for the future and not rely solely on the government. The government alone cannot do everything,” she said.
She called on women’s organisations to move beyond their comfort zones and mobilise support and resources for their programmes.
The owner of Nibanola Motherland and Resort, Hon. Jibayo Adeyeye, urged public servants and political office holders to explore opportunities in agriculture within the provisions of the law.
Hon.Adeyeye said agriculture remained an important sector with enormous opportunities for investment and economic empowerment.
He thanked Governor Aiyedatiwa for choosing Nibanola Motherland as the venue for the retreat and commended Osamaye for initiating the programme.
In his vote of thanks, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Kolawole Kayode, urged participants to put into practice the knowledge acquired during the retreat and use it to create a positive impact in their workplaces, homes and communities.
Mr Kayode also commended the guest speakers, lecturers, planning committee and staff of the ministry for their contributions to the success of the programme.
Among those who attended were female Permanent Secretaries, Elected and Appointed Female officials, Female Heads of Government Agencies and Parastatals, Heads of NGOs and political support groups, as well as the President of the International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA, Ondo State chapter, Mrs Bolanle Olafunmiloye.
