Daily Independent (Lagos)
9 October 2008
interview
Honourable Mutiat Adetoun Adediran, the Lagos State Action Congress (AC) Woman Leader, is seen by admirers as leading a silent revolution in Nigerian politics.
In this Interview with OLISEMEKA OBECHE, she assures that her party is ready to end the era of singing and dancing roles for women in politics; and empower them to contribute maximally to Alausa's Mega City Development Master Plan.
The former Deputy Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly equally talks about the political underpinning that led to the strangulation of the 37 LCDAs Bill at the National Assembly.
Excerpts:
Lagos State Action Congress recently declared its intention to encourage more women participation in policy formulation and implementation in the state. As a leader who was instrumental to this development, what does it portend for the womenfolk in the state?
Well, first of all, let me give thanks to our leaders in the party who saw the need to integrate women into the mainstream of political leadership. Most importantly, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, governor emeritus of Lagos State, Governor Babatunde Fashola, the party chairman, Otunba Henry Dele Ajomale and all other party leaders and top notchers for giving women more chance to be involved in the political leadership of the state, unlike before. We all know that women generally lack the financial capability needed to achieve the level of political success they ought to in our society. So, the present policy of the Action Congress in Lagos State has provided the leverage to take the women folk to a greater height. By giving women free nomination forms and encouraging those with good qualification and credibility to come forward, Lagos State is on the verge of another political breakthrough, especially at the grassroots level. This gesture, no doubt, would motivate them to bring their wealth of experience and natural endowments to bear at the grassroots governance.
We all know that greater percentage of electorates are women, and are always on ground, especially at the grassroots, this development will definitely bring out the best in them. Since I assumed office as the state woman leader in 2006, we called ourselves together to find ways of putting an end to the singing and dancing role confined to the women in our political system; and now, we thank God that our efforts and dreams have come to fruition, and we are grateful to all our leaders who made it possible.
We are really looking forward to our women beating their male counterparts at the poll and in the offices now that the problem of thuggery has been given a chase by the party. We thank God for the wisdom of our party leaders for putting every machinery in place to checkmate thuggery and violence during elections; and we believe that such development has placed the womenfolk in good stead to compete favourably with the men without fear of intimidation from opponents. The party has warned that anybody found to have sponsored any form of violence during an election would be disqualified from the race immediately. This is a big boost to our women participation now, unlike before when they were usually gripped with fear of being attacked by the elements of the opposition candidates. This tremendous support is good for deepening our democracy, and I really thank the party and the state government led by Fashola for engineering such political innovation in Nigeria.
Right now, many women are warming up for the forthcoming local government election in Lagos. That shows that the party is really out to encourage greater women participation in politics.
Do you think that women can actually succeed where the men folk fail in Nigerian politics?
Yes, we believe so; because it is natural for women to care for people around them and to sacrifice whatever they can to cater for them. Anything that a woman handles is always taken very good care of; and we don't foment trouble in politics and any other areas of life. So, if given the chance to perform, I know the women folk will bring the needed governance is always delicate. In the last dispensation, we had just about four women in council executives who performed wonderfully well; and that is why our party has decided to bring more women in to add more value to what these women have done. Right now, we have many professionals like doctors, lawyers, seasoned mangers and administrators and what have you warming up on the sideline in readiness to contribute to the development of the state through politics, having seen that it is not really a dirty game as we are made to know. I know that the issue of women as mothers, domestic holders and things like that would help to add credibility to our polity.
What modalities has the party put in place to mobilise women, especially those at the grassroots towards this greater participation you are talking about?
We have had a lot of workshops, seminars and other enlightenment programmes to put them in proper gear. I tried my best to take most of the women from the rural areas down to the urban areas or even outside the state for workshops and seminars. Apart from that, early this year, I went round the local governments just to mobilise the women there and at the same time obtain first-hand information concerning them. I went round to interact with them and know how to go about bringing the best from them; and that yielded positive results.
Before now, the role of women in politics, especially at the grassroots, has been more of praise-singing, showing solidarity and adding colour to socio-political events without playing key role in policy formulation and implementation. Do you think that this development would really change the status quo?
(Laughs) Gone are the days when women sing and dance for men; this time around the men should start singing their own praise while women add value to governance. We want to tell them that we can stand side-by-side in this struggle to lift our society from the throes of poverty. Though we give them - men - their due respects at the family level, but when it comes to official or public duty, we are ready to square it up with them and show that really we can succeed where they fail. Gone also are the days when our voices and commands are confined only in the kitchen. We are ready to make our mark in the political arena as well. As we all know that women have this special feeling for children and family needs, making them part and parcel of policy formulation and implementation would definitely bring governance nearer to the people at the grassroots. With this policy, we will bring the problem of women and children at the front burner and defend their rights. Things have really improved for women's participation in politics in Lagos State. During my term as Deputy Speaker of the Lagos Sate House of Assembly, there were only three women lawmakers in the House. But today, seven women are occupying legislative seats in the House, courtesy of AC's favourable policy on gender mainstreaming, and I know that the number would double by the next election, In sha Allah!
Incidentally, we have not really seen women achieve spectacular results in politics as they have done at the corporate level and in families. What do you think was responsible for this lapse and how do you think that Lagos women can overcome that and out-perform their male counterparts?
I want to say that we are going to have a change in that direction, because most of the level of awareness that we have already created on that and the support from our party leaders and the state government. Most of the problem that women encountered over the years was the notion held, particularly by men, that it is uncustomary for women that plays the role of preparing and serving food at home to be in control of their affairs in office, and some times order them to do something against their own volition. That notion has since been thrown into the dust bin of history, having seen more women make their mark in politics in other countries of the world. We believe that politicians should see themselves as colleagues, whether man or woman; not as a woman that takes care of domestic affairs.
Everything boils down to the fact that our men need to know that the world has gone digital, and we need to get out into the jet age and go along with the rest. The world is moving on at a faster rate and while in other countries more and more women are occupying sensitive positions, we can't just leave our women behind or confine them in the traditional role of domestic caretakers. I know we have a long way to go to prove to men that we can really change the condition in our society and this is just a stepping stone for us. All we need now is to gather the best in ourselves and proceed with the task and I strongly believe that if given the free hand to operate, very soon we will produce the first woman president in this country; I know we would definitely get there.
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