The Attorney- General and Commissioner for Justice of Ekiti State, Olawale Fapohunda, has said that there is no better way to honour Oluwaseyi Ojo’s life of service than to follow her example to prove that the willingness to get in the arena and fight for the rights of women, children and against sexual violence is not reserved for the office of the first lady or members of FIDA.
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Olawale Fapohunda made this statement in his tribute to Oluwaseyi Ojo, which he describes as an appreciation of life, which he gave on the 9th day of January, 2020, at Adetiloye Hall, Fountain Hotel, Ado Ekiti.
According to him, the task is not reserved for the office of the first lady or members of FIDA. That it is open to all of us, and in fact, it is demanded of all of us. He noted that we are here today to appreciate a truly special woman; an activist and a dedicated public officer who embodied so much that is best in the public service – commitment, dedication, sacrifice and selflessness.
“I took notice of Seyi in my first term as Attorney – General. What attracted her to me was the passion with which she spoke and campaigned for the rights of women and children. It has been said that there is a way activists bond together in whatever setting they are placed. Given my background, it was therefore not surprising that we found each other. Four years later on my return as Attorney- General I found that the fire had not gone out of her. I had thought that age would have tempered her fierce commitment but on the contrary, she appeared to have found additional energy to pursue her advocacy.
“I appointed her my assistant on gender and vulnerable persons. Weeks into her tenure,I found she had too much energy for the Ministry of Justice.I thought that the only other place that she could express her passion to the fullest was in the office of the first lady I was confident that she will be an asset to Erelus team and I was not disappointed. She thrived in that office. Indeed she fitted so well, that at some point I was concerned that we had lost her to the office of the First Lady but any time I complained she always disarmed me with her toothy soothing ‘oga’, he said.
Speaking further, he said that all this week a lot has been said about her unapologetic commitment to the rights of women. He thus added that she was never too busy to take up the cause of an abused woman or victims of sexual violence, and that she will promptly respond to SOS text messages and there was no community in Ekiti State that was too far for her. “She was not a 9am to 4pm civil servant,” he added.
He noted that Seyi was struggling with sickle cell anemia yet somehow, she never lost her energy, her optimism or her zest for life. He added that she always maintained that buoyant spirit, too stubborn to sit still, as ever, fiercely devoted to her work; that she radiated that kind of grace and serenity that God specially gives to those who stand in the line of fire for justice and speak for the weak and vulnerable. He also said that they all need to respond to the scourge of sexual violence in Ekiti State.
“We all need to respond to the scourge of sexual violence in Ekiti State. The Fayemi administration has made huge strides in improving the position of women in society, however gender-based violence is the state remains a concern. Studies prove that the incidence is far bigger than what is reported to authorities and the frequency of GBV cases are therefore difficult to determine, as they are often not reported.
“We will be told that the causes of sexual violence are complex-spirituality clothed many times in the work of the devil. No single law — no set of laws can eliminate the devil from this State, or prevent rape, and child defilement or other forms gender violencein our society.But that can’t be an excuse for inaction. Surely, we can do better than this. When the rape of women, girls and babies become the norm in any society the soul of that society is dead. A soul-less society cannot inspire growth to enable its citizens achieve their God given potentials.
“In the coming weeks, I will begin to reach out to the 16 local government councils in the state in an effort to have a shared appreciation of what the issues are and to develop a statewide agenda for the enforcement of the GBV Prohibition Law. We will also intensify our efforts aimed at establishing a sexual assault referral center in Ekiti State. We will review the effectiveness of our name and shame policy and Seyis absence will not affect the zeal with which we prosecute sex offenders. It would be a betrayal of everything Seyi stood for to settle for symbolic gestures without following up with the hard work of more lasting change. That is perhaps how we honor her best, by recognizing that there are some things bigger than ambition, money or fame, that there are things that are worth fighting for, principles that are eternal, truths that are abiding,” he added.
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