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.
How would the women manage the dichotomy between their traditional role and their political role, which will definitely make them boss over many men who see themselves as higher in status; especially the suspicion that if women are given more breathing space, they would take over everything and begin to colonise men?
(Laughs) Well, if we take over everything and make our society better, I think they would like it also. At least, we are their mothers. But to be honest, that is not part of our agenda; we understand the culture and respect our norms and values. But that should not deter us from contributing our quota to the development of our society. Many men do encourage their wives to pursue their career in politics and that did not make them be under their wives. It has to be understood on the basis of trust between men and women, especially husband and wife; that such exaltation, which politics gives would not make you to look down on men, especially your husband, and that you would be faithful to him at all times. Aside that, we need to control ourselves and give a good example in everything we do so that those following us would believe and trust us.
The truth is that women are not better placed to navigate through politics and their family roles, but the success depends on how we manage our time and the trust invested on us. Some people just see politics as an ordinary vocation that they should join simply because others are doing it, without knowing how to manage their time and know what they are really doing concerning their political lives.
For me, I believe that my political life, family and love life are three parallel lines that must never meet. This enables me to allocate appropriate time to each of them, according to their own importance. I know that there are times that I need to give to my family and time for my political engagements. So, those periods that I allotted for my family should be spent with my husband and children, because I believe that you can't give everything to politics without giving something to your family as well. Whenever that time comes, I usually allow my husband to have the feeling of me as his wife and my kids as their mother while dedicating the periods I have for politics to all the tasks and official engagements that normally come - trying to give my best in them as well. I want to counsel women who are going into politics, and those already into it, to really sit down and create a time table in other to allow them enough room to balance their traditional roles in the family and their political responsibilities.
One area where local government chairmen and councillors have failed woefully is on policy formulation and implementation, with the state taking care of virtually everything. Is your party planning to allow leaders at the local government level to handle the affairs?
For God's sake, if you are on such a seat as the council chairman and have the autonomy to operate, and I believe you work well with your councillors, then why should somebody say the state is controlling you? Yes, the state may be in charge, probably to get what belongs to them at the federal level, because there is no way the local government would be able to get their entitlements from the Federal Government. It is the state that would assist them get whatever they need from there. The state takes the responsibility of obtaining their needs from the centre and guiding them in delivering the dividend of democracy to the people at the grassroots. I believe, with what is going on now, majority of those policies that have been formulated by the government at the local government level, things are definitely going to take better shape. You know, the problem they usually have in the past is the frequent bickering with their councillors. But with the policies and programmes that we have initiated, they would definitely deliver the wishes of the electorates. I believe that they would as well sit down together with their councillors to formulate policies that would better the lots of the masses. They normally have their meetings at which they decide what to do for the people in the form of scale of preference. One area we really lay more emphasis is education, health for the children at the grassroots. We want our people, especially women and children to get the best services, among other things.
When this administration was inaugurated, its 10-point agenda was also announced, and in a bid to make sure that the programme of the administration is given holistic approach, the programmes of the local government had to be monitored to follow the same pattern. This is so, because if the development programme fails, the Governor bears the brunt and not the chairmen. In other to avoid possibility of failure in achieving the development target, local government chairman and councillors need to be teleguided by the state government. It is not dictating to them what they should do or not, it is all about giving them the necessary encouragement and assistance in designing their programmes and implementing it to synchronise with that of the state government.
The structure of the federation has been criticised of having more power at the centre at the expense of the states and local governments; and the same thing is applicable to state and local governments. How do we make all the three tiers of government perform their constitutional duties without unnecessary interference?
I want to tell you that such excessive interference is no longer taking place in this dispensation, even the last dispensation in Lagos State, except those on seat at the local government level want to play a fast one. I am sure that the governor does not want any political leader in the state to be moving around, but to remain in the office and do exactly what they are elected or appointed to do at the right time for the people. Apart from the usual meetings which they hold once in a while, every council chairman is expected to remain in his base and attend to the development needs of the people in that particular area.
What is your reaction to the recent allegations of imposition of candidates levelled against some party chieftains by some AC members in the state?
There is nothing like imposition of candidates in our party; what we are saying is that we don't want bloodshed and rigging, we want free and fair primaries and, of course, local government election. That is why in some local governments, we allow them freedom to do whatever they like concerning the choice of their candidates. If they sit down and decide to choose one person out of the other aspirants, they are free to do so, provided that the candidate has been certified eligible to contest by the party. Nobody has ever attempted to do that at the moment, and all the leaders have signed that nobody will front for any aspirant, since they are the fathers and mothers of all the candidates. So, we are really out to give everybody equal opportunity to achieve their political ambitions. There is not going to be an imposition of candidate in any way; all aspirants have equal chances depending on their level of preparedness and track records.
Those who are crying already over imposition of candidates must have seen their failures. Probably they know that they don't have anything worthwhile to offer and decided to create confusion, so that people would know that they exist and possibly talk to them.
As someone who was part of the lawmakers that created the new councils in the state, from where do you think the controversy over 37 LCDAs reared its ugly head?
I think it all boils down to the issue of which party is in control of the federal or the state; because we followed the required procedure for council creation. We get all our documents and took them to Abuja, after getting the opinion of Lagosians and passing the bill in Lagos. We held a prolonged meeting with the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and they promised to handle the bill properly. At the end of the day, we did our best to persuade the National Assembly to see reasons why Lagos should have more local governments at that time. But as is common in our political system, the bill was strangulated along the way for mere political reasons. We felt bad with the treatment given to the LCDA bill at the National Assembly, because an issue that bothers on the lives of citizens should not be trivialised for political gains.
I believe that we shouldn't continue with this winner takes all attitude, and do the right thing for the people. The day one assumes the position as either the President of this country or governor of a state, then you become the leader of all the citizens, not that of a particular party. I don't think that a bill should be discarded because it did not originate from my party or favour my interest; any matter geared towards making positive impact on the lives of the people should be treated without any reference to party or personal interests. Instead of killing off the bill, they should have moderated, so that the people out there would know that their interests are being taken care of by the government. I thank God that it is not like that in Lagos State.
What would be your message to the women folk and electorates, ahead of the October 11, council poll?
To the women - we have a lot of credible women already on the platform - let us rise up to prove our worth. Let's give them our massive support so that, together, we shall uplift Lagos State. And to Lagosians, this is another chance to choose our leaders at the grassroots level, so let's come out and vote for the candidates of our choice.
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