A governorship aspirant under the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN) has assured women in Oyo state that his administration would give a pride of place to them if he wins the 2019 governorship election.
The legal luminary, who is the Baamofin of Ibadanland, said that he loves women empowerment and that women should not nurse any fear as he would be committed to the welfare if he wins the governorship election.
Hear him: “The 35 per cent affirmative actions, I have had causes to address it, even at the party level, and I have addressed it very well. I am what the Yoruba people will call ‘Abigael’. Ninety per cent of my kids are women, and I am married to a woman. My wife is an high court judge.
“I am duty bound to apply the provision of the law as it was. Nigeria is a signatory to that international convention, of which we have domesticated it. Having domesticated it, we are duty bound. The problem with us in this country is that most people are just too lazy to hold those who are governing us to account. Every Nigerian citizen should be able to hold Nigeria leaders accountable to that position of the law. Nigeria is a signatory to the international convention, people should ask the government, ‘why are you doing this?’ I want to challenge you, hold me accountable when I become governor of Oyo State, to see whether I will implement that or not. I am an executive member of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). I am a good member of the International Bar Association, (IBA). They will ask me questions over there about it.”
Akintola, who is a former deputy speaker of the Oyo State House of Assemby, further explained that “In October this year, we will be in Sidney, Australia and these are the types of questions they throw at us. Some six years ago, I was in Chicago for IBA, and after the presentation of my paper, one Australian, after receiving standing ovation, said ‘this is a very beautiful paper from a third world country from that country where Abacha ruled!’
“He was trying to impugn on our integrity as a nation. But I quickly rose to the occasion and reminded him that ‘I am a proud Nigerian; that same country that produced Sani Abacha also produced Prof Wole Soyinka,’ and that shut his mouth. So, he held me accountable in that particular aspect.
