By Nkechi Eze
Nigeria women have commended President Bola Tinubu for approving the recommendation of the Director General of the Department of State Service (DSS) Mr. Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi to appoint Ms. Folashade Adekaiyaoja, as the first ever Deputy Director General of the Service.
In an unprecedented move, President Tinubu in January approved Ms. Adekaiyaoja’s appointment as Deputy Director General. Her appointment seeks to revise the agency’s structure for better efficiency.
The commendation for President Tinubu was conveyed when women from diverse Civil Society Organizations, including the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS), Federation of Muslim Women Association in Nigeria (FOMWAN), Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) and Association of Women in Trade and Agriculture (AWITA), visited the DSS Director General, thursday in his office in Abuja.
Led by the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim fsi, the women described Adekaiyaoja’s appointment as a sign that the President has the interest of Nigerian women at heart.
Accompanied by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Maryam Ismaila Keshinro, Sulaiman-Ibrahim said Nigerian women appreciate the DG for prioritizing staff welfare and removing operational barriers between men and Women, as shown by his recommendation of Adekaiyaoja.
The minister, who was also accompanied by the Director General, National Centre for Women Development (NCWD), Dr. Asabe Vilita, and other top management officers in the Ministry said Adekaiyaoja’s appointment was proof that the DG was in sync with President Tinubu’s policy of gender balance in appointments.
The Minister, in a statement signed by her Special Adviser on Media, Mr Jonathan Eze, stated that : “It takes a visionary leader to promote women. I appreciate a visionary leader like President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who continued to promote his wife even after he left office as Lagos State Governor.
“I commend you for making a difference; for creating safe space for women and children with the best creche and your policy of zero tolerance for the abuse of women. Under your watch, women are okay and good to go.
“I commend the President for showing the political will through budgetary allocation of over 1,000% at the ministry and 500% at the NCWD. I pray that the tenures of the President and DG be resounding,” she prayed.
She also commended the DG for his interest in empowering spouses and children of retired and fallen colleagues, noting that the DG was sponsoring a training programme for some women at the NCWD.
Responding, the DG said the love his mother showered on him made him appreciate women, stressing that, this made him detest violence against women.
“Everywhere I have served, Ialways warn against abusing women. Leadership is infectious. Hence, staff who work with me are likely to respect women and reports of women being abused have been addressed”, he declared.
Recall that the DSS DG had on assumption of office in late August 2024 promised sweeping reforms to transform the Service into one of the most efficient covert security agencies in the world.
