WHY ISOPADEC NEEDS GOVERNOR UZODIMMA’S TOUCH OF GENDER SENSITIVITY OVER CHOICE OF WOMAN MD — Marcus Nwabali Isibuzo
The Executive Governor of Imo State, Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma has demonstrated a rare show of gender friendliness and sensitivity in the running of the affairs of Imo State since his assumption of office as the Executive Governor of the State.As foresighted and intuitive leader ,Senator Hope Uzodimma has broken record in the political history of Imo State and the entire South East of Nigeria as the most outstanding gender friendly Governor that deliberately initiated gender inclusive policy through which he empowered and involved women in governance than anyone else.The Governor has in his wisdom as a respecter of women appointed several Imo women into sensitive positions such as Chairmen of Boards and Commissions, Sole Administrators and Interim Management Committee Chairmen of Council Areas,Commissioners, Special Advisers, Senior Special Assistants and host of others.It was under the watch of the Governor that a woman Vice Chancellor was appointed for the only federal University in the State, Federal University of Technology, Owerri.
This trend of women involvement and visibility in the scheme of things of the state is a big credit for the Governor as a leader.He has set the pace to address the age long marginalisation and exclusion of our mothers, Sisters, daughters and wives from the government and other serious social and economic activities that could enhance quality of life.The biggest of all the deliberate gender inclusive policy of Senator Uzodimma was the adoption of a woman as the Deputy Governor of Imo State during the November 11,2023 gubernatorial election in Imo State.His choice of a woman academic, grassroots mobilizer and community leader in the person of Lady Ihuoma Chinyere Ekomaru as his Deputy is the peak of his wisdom and high leveled sensitivity and friendliness to the hitherto marginalized women gender in Imo State and South East in general.He deserves accolades and commendation for such strategic intervention towards enhancing the capacity and harnessing the potentials of the female gender.
By bringing women into governance, Senate Uzodimma has opened a wider door of opportunities for spread of prosperity and empowerment of women.By empowering women,he has equally liberated many families from poverty and deprivation, considering the fact that most families have mothers, daughters,wives and Sisters as bread winners.Mothers are compassionate and due to their love for their children, husbands and other relatives, they withhold nothing to themselves but rather deploy whatever income at their disposal to assist their family members.If a woman is empowered,there is no iota of doubt that obviously,a generation is being empowered.
Having visited many government Agencies with this gender inclusive touch of sensitivity and friendliness as enumerated above,a discreet search has shown that the only government Agency that has not been favoured with appointment of women into it’s leadership or headship is the Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, ISOPADEC.This multi billion Naria interventionist Agency is both sensitive and strategic in addressing myriad of protracted and perennial problems facing the oil bearing region of Imo State.One of the major functions of the Agency is to address problem of youth restiveness by putting in place projects, programs and activities that could ameliorate the suffering of the people of the Area.
It is important to note that since it’s inception, the Agency had captured the diverse interests and representations of various stakeholders that abound in the Area, except the women gender whose presence has been conspicuously absent in the scheme of things of Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission.To be precise, successive governments have appointed representatives of other interest groups such as traditional rulers, youths, Community leaders who are all male as Chairmen or Managing Directors but never considered the imperativeness of appointing a woman Managing Director or Chairman of ISOPADEC.Late Eze SNA Uzor, the Nzeobi of Egbema Kingdom and His Majesty Eze Prof Dele Odigbo having served as Chairmen of the Agency fully underscored the capturing of the Royal fathers’ interest in the scheme of things of ISOPADEC.Also the appointment of Hon Dr Henry Okafor, Hon Kingsley Uju, Hon Volko, Hon Emeka Benjamin and others as Managing Directors represents the capturing of the youths, while the appointment of Iwuorisha, Charles Orie, Alozie and others represents the capturing of interest of Community leaders and elders in the scheme of things of the Agency.However,in all these appointments, the women gender has not been carried along and there is no better time to address the imbalance and exclusion than now.
There is no doubt that expectations are high and rife that it is only a gender sensitive and friendly leader like our God sent Governor, Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma that can do something urgently about this injustice of protracted exclusion by appointing a woman from the Oil Producing Area of the state as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (ISOPADEC). This will in no small way restore dashed hopes and rekindle the flame of love and passion of the women of the Oil bearing region who are diehard supporters of the Also,a woman Managing Director of ISOPADEC will be better placed as a mother, wife, Sister, Auntie to talk to restive youths and mediate with other stakeholders towards entrenchment of lasting peace, progress and development of the Region.With motherly touch she can impact positively on fellow women and also make judicious use of resources at her disposal to do exactly what is expected of an interventionist Agency like ISOPADEC.There is need to give chance to a woman now and for good!
Marcus Nwabali Isibuzo wrote in from Ohaji Egbema local Government Area of Imo State
