Outrage As Bindow Appoints Man To Head Women Affairs Ministry

From Tom Garba, Yola

Women groups in Adamawa have expressed dismay over the appointment of a male commissioner to oversee activities of the state ministry of women affairs.

One of them, Mrs Faith Janpukuma, a gender activist and erstwhile director women mobilization, Buhari and Osinbajo Campaign Organization Adamawa state, who expressed outrage with appointment of Alhaji Aliyu Bello Tola as the new commissioner designate women affairs, described the appointment as a setback to the womenfolk in Adamawa.
Out of the 21 sworn-in commissioners in the state, only four are women.
Mrs Janpukuma, who said she was not alone in the condemnation of the appointment, stressed that she was expressing the position of most women in the state, who she said viewed the appointment as” very disappointing because it is capable of killing their enthusiasm for politics.”
She said the appointment was a fatal error on the part of the Bindow administration, and therefore urge him to reconsider it because of the adverse effect it would have on the wome folk in the state.
She stressed that as the only office for women affairs, it should rightly be headed by a woman.
“Seriously, I am disappointed with the appointment of a male as the commissioner of women affairs. I cannot hide my disappointment with it. The least is to say that I am very disappointed. While as a person I cannot query his decision but as a gender activist I frown at it,” she said.

It would be recalled that penultimate weekend the administration of Governor Muhammadu Jibrilla Bindow sworn in 21 new commissioners into the state executive council. But at the time only six portfolios namely, the ministry of Health, Works, Education, Agriculture, Finance and Mines, were already assigned and those to man them clearly enunciated.
The daughter of the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Dr. Fatima Abubakar was among those whose portfolios were already earmarked while others only knew what ministries were assigned to them afterwards.
Alhaji Aliyu Bello Tola from Mayo Belwa was later designated to oversee the women affairs ministry.