Mrs Olufunso Amosun, wife of Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, shares with Sulaimon Olanrewaju her style as well as her passion for indigenes of the state.STYLISH and classy are two words that aptly describe Mrs Olufunso Amosun, the winsome wife of Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun. With graceful gait, elegant elocution, coordinated clothing, perfect posture and classy comportment, the face of the Ogun State woman is surely a pleasure to behold. She is absolutely a woman of fine tastes.But her style and class transcend the humdrum, as she is also cerebral. Her mind is not befuddled; she is very clear on many issues, especially the ones that concern women and children. She knows exactly what to say at any given time with the right intonation and inflection so that the message is not misinterpreted. She is not reflexive but reflective; her words are not superficial but drawn from the deep recesses of her mind. Hence, they are soothing and swaying. She has a very clear idea of what she ought to do and when to do it. She is so clear of what her role in the administration of her husband is. She says, she is not out to compete for attention with her husband or any other functionary of the state, but rather she is to support the governor and his team so that her husband's motivating factor for seeking the votes of the people of Ogun State to govern them could become a reality. She says, she is not supposed to be intruding in her husband's administration of the state but rather to call her husband's attention to overlooked issues so that his tenure would turn out a success. That is why she is neither obtrusive nor pervasive but is content with working behind the scenes for the success of the government led by her husband. Mrs Amosun's attitude to the administration of the state speaks volumes of proper breeding. And she is determined to impart same to as many of the state's indigenes and residents that come her way as possible. Speaking on her plans for women, she avers: 'Our main objective is to alleviate poverty in the state. There is so much poverty and you can't begin to talk of improving the lives of the people until deliberate attempts are made to address the issue of poverty. So, we plan to tackle that as much as it lies within our powers. We intend to do this through vocational training, reorientation and provision of soft loans to quite a number of poor women we have around. This will not be a matter of politics; we are going to devise a means of identifying the poor in every part of the state, and irrespective of their political leaning, we are going to reach out to them.'Children are also captured in her plans for the state, 'As a guidance counsellor by training, I and a few other people have been going around assessing the amenities in the state. We have been to children's homes; we have been to the lepers' colony and other places like that. You know our governor has free education as part of his programme, so, we are going to focus on and capture children that are not in school and see how we can assist them. We will see whether to put them into training programmes or offer them soft loans to start their own businesses. But our plan is really to teach people how to fish so that they can become independent rather than give them fish. So, it is most likely that we will enrol them in training programmes where they can acquire vocational skills; whatever it is that would put food on their tables. I am of the firm belief that the best way to beat poverty is to acquire marketable skills. You do not cure the disease called poverty by throwing money at the poor. To get a person out of poverty, what has to be done is to impart skills to the person. With proper skill, such a person can even be greater than the one who facilitated the training. So, the only ones that we may assist with money directly are those who are older and have acquired some skills.'Mrs Amosun also speaks of her role in her husband's administration, 'My role is to support my husband in whatever it is he is doing. My role is to support him so that he can succeed in his vision of improving the lot of the people of the state. I see it as my duty to make the home a pleasant place for him so that he can think straight and I have to support him in whatever he is doing. I also have to complement what he is doing, wherever I see that there is a little more that could be done, especially regarding women and children, I will step in there and complement his effort.'Despite her societal elevation, the governor's wife believes she has remained unchanged. 'I firmly believe that my new status has not had any adverse effect on me. And I believe it will not change me adversely. I hope it will not and I pray it will not.
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