Having a female vice president will boost women participation in politics —Adesola Elegbeji, APC Reps aspirant

Adesola Ayoola Elegbeji is an aspirant who seeks to represent Remo Federal Constituency at the National Assembly on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 elections. She shares her aspirations and other issues in this interview with DAPO FALADE. Excerpts:

HOW would you describe the current political dispensation in the country?

The current political dispensation in Nigeria is in a state of flux. The winds of change is blowing across the political landscape as the electorate are more aware and have more expectations from their leaders than ever before. It is becoming less acceptable for politicians to line their pockets while in office and then offer the electorate crumbs from the table in the form of dubious empowerment programmes. This is clearly undesired and unsustainable; the time for change is now.

How would you assess the involvement of Nigerian women in politics?

Women are grossly under-represented in Nigeria politics, for various reasons. Women in politics are roughly less than three per cent of our national legislative seats. This is grossly inadequate because women make up, at least, five per cent of our population. There are so many barriers to active participation of women in politics, some artificial and some cultural, to name but a few of the factors, But this needs to change. The greatest of these barriers is our culture which is largely patriarchal and it instinctively favours men over women.  Finance is also another big barrier as politics in Nigeria is largely a money affair. Only a very few women can afford the colossal sums of money it takes to successfully contest for political offices. There are also social factors and these include having to attend late night political meeting which is always difficult for a wife and a mother to explain to her family. Despite all of these barriers, I am encouraged by the many amazons in Nigeria and across the world, who have travailed above all odds and successfully forged ahead in their political careers. We may be a long way away from having a female president, but I look forward to the day when we will have the first female elected governor and president in Nigeria. I am also very encouraged by the measures made by my party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), to encourage female aspirants.

What gives you pleasure in politics?

Good governance and public accountability is my ultimate aspiration. Democracy should be government chosen by the people and run by the people for the benefit of the people. There is no excuse for bad governance and holding a political office shouldn’t be an avenue for acquiring wealth and riches. Political office is about service to the people. This, for me, is the divine pleasure.

You seek to run for the House of Representatives, what would be your cardinal points, if you are elected into the National Assembly?

My three main areas of focus would be poverty alleviation, good educational system delivery and better health care for all. Our education system is clearly not where is should be; not even where it used to be. At the moment, only the very rich can afford a quality education outside of the country. I am proud to be a product of the public school system here in Nigeria. I have never attended a private school and it pains me to see that, in today’s public school system, it is near impossible to get the same quality of education in Nigeria of which I was fortunate enough to have received. One of my priorities would be to introduce a Bill in the House of Representatives for the government to fund early year education. Early year education is the foundation for future achievements for every child. As the Jesuits say, give me a child by the age of seven and I will show you the man. Our education system needs to be overhauled to give more room to develop the kind of an employable workforce which our industries needs by placing more emphasis on vocational training, along with others.

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What is your political aspiration?

My political aspiration is to represent Removed Federal Constituency in Ogun State. I discovered that my people have been denied of various socio-infrastructural benefits. It is therefore my wish to go to the National Assembly to facilitate certain things that would enhance good conditions for my people. I am not saying that my predecessors have not done anything, but I wish to complement their efforts. Secondly, I want to contribute my quota to national legislation, especially on issues of youths, women, employment, education and security.

Why did you choose APC as the platform to realise your ambition?

I chose APC because I was inspired by the genuine and heartfelt intentions to make Nigeria a better place for all its citizens. It is about a political party with the political ideology and conviction that aligns with my hopes and aspirations. I am aware that, due to various factors, especially issues relating to our legislature. The executive has not been able to actualise all of its promises that it made to the electorate during the last electioneering campaign. However, the intent is clear and the party is making good progress in making sure that the right people are elected into political offices. This informed the reason I have chosen to put myself forward to serve to my fatherland. As we all know, Rome wasn’t built in a day; change takes time, patience and perseverance.

How acceptable is APC in your state, and particularly your constituency?

APC is the party to beat in Ogun State. The party is widely accepted and enjoys high membership rate in all wards and in all of the local government areas. The results of recent elections support this. At present, we are striving to register more members for the party. We are working harder to deliver on our promises of change for the better, not only for these party members, but also for those who are not members as well as. This is largely due to the excellent stewardship shown by our governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, in delivering the “Mission to Rebuild” programme in our state. We have seen great strides achieved in terms of delivering infrastructure, promoting industries and investing in primary health care and improved educational system. The good people of Ogun State would like to see this continue, which is why we believe we will clear the board, come 2019, not only in Ogun State but also in Remo Federal Constituency which I am humbly seeking to represent.

There is an increase clamour in the recent time that the vice president of the country should be a woman to balance the gender equation. What is your opinion about this?

I think this is a fantastic idea. We have quite a lot of accomplished women in Nigeria who can serve in this role and do a very good job of it. We all know women are good managers; we can be very good leaders as well, once we are given the chance. The opportunity and the chance to serve is what propelled women like me, and all over the world, to offer ourselves to contribute to efforts to better our respective countries and communities. Furthermore, having a female vice president will help to address the challenges faced by women in the political arena. Having a female vice president would also encourage more women to get into politics.

What is your advice for women, especially in the area of politics?

Get off the sidelines and get involved. If we all shy away from politics, then we would leave the field open for the incompetent and corrupt to rule over us. You have to be in the game to win the game.

What is your appeal to the leadership of your party?

My appeal to them is that we should engage in the real art of democracy. They should let all aspirants contest for various posts desired by them. We should employ the spirit of equality. All aspirants should be allowed to be voted for; that is real democracy.