Obasanjo, Ogun deputy gov make case for female president

Former President� Olusegun Obasanjo, on Thursday, canvassed the need to have a female President in Nigeria, saying the idea should be given a trial.

The former President said this at the 5th edition of the Egba Dialect Debate and� Choral Competition for Secondary Schools in Ogun Central Senatorial District in Abeokuta.

The event was organised by the Pro-Chancellor of� University of Lagos, Dr. Lanre Tejuoso,� which featured a debate session with the theme �Nigeria is ripe for a female President�

In his remarks, Obasanjo said he� supported the motion, explaining that the women folks need to be given the opportunity to lead too.

According to him, it�s only when power is being passed and shared equally among both genders that the country will stand strong again and develop.

Obasanjo said, �From my own view, if we want the country to grow, we should consider both genders, because a hand can�t carry a load to the head alone.

�You can do it as you want, but it should be done as it is supposed to be. We can gain experience from both genders. What�s the difference between the genders? Only the female can get pregnant for nine months and a male can�t. That�s the only difference between us.

�As for me, there�s nothing preventing the female gender from becoming the President of our country.�

Corroborating Obasanjo, the Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Naimot Salako-Oyedele, stated that there was a need to bring females into politics.

She said, �We can�t give someone power, it has to be fought for, and we have to start bringing females into politics, even if it�s from the grassroots level so that they can gain enough experience to lead the country.

�If she can start from being a councillor and we see that she�s capable, then, she can move to the next level.

�In Ogun State, we have 236 councillors but only 18 are females; we have 20 chairmen, only two are females; we have 26 seats in the House of Assembly, only two are females; in the House of Representatives, we have nine members, only one is female;� we have three senators, no female and we have the deputy governor who is also a female.�

She, therefore, commended the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, for giving a female the opportunity to become his deputy,� urging others to support females in their political careers.

Salako-Oyedele, who represented the governor, applauded the promotion of the indigenous language, adding that the state was doing everything to promote the Yoruba culture.