I can’t endanger my soul for any political office — Ex-presidential candidate, Professor Sonaiya

WHY did you opt out of the academics?

I was a student in Ife in the 70’s and I knew the standard, both of the facilities and the teaching. And here was I in the same university as a lecturer, and from the mid 80’s, all of us just witnessed things going down – the decay of the infrastructure, because the government was not putting into the university the kind of money that needed to be put into it to keep up with the standards; the decay in the educational standards so that very poor students were coming into the university and a lot of frustration. I was sad that the generation of my children could not enjoy the kind of opportunities and standards that I had enjoyed as a student. I felt that things should be getting better, not worse. Whenever I travelled to the universities where I had been, whether where I had studied or where I had had sabbatical stay (like in Germany), I saw that things had gotten better– things were getting better elsewhere, things were getting worse in my own university here in Nigeria.and one day, it dawned on me that our political leaders are responsible for our standard of living, whether we would have good schools, good hospitals, good roads and so on. When that hit me, and I saw that we were wrong to have left our political leadership either in hands of incompetent people or individuals without integrity, who were just bent on stealing money, that was when I realised that we needed competent people in leadership. And whenever an issue like that comes up in my life, I always ask myself what could be done about it. So I told my husband about going into politics. For me, it marked a clear thing: I was done with the academics.

In Africa, men usually feel threatened by women’s achievements. Your husband has supported you so far. How have you been able to relate with your husband so that he has not felt threatened?

Well, my husband is not a typical Nigerian or African. Honestly, what often surprises me is to see a man who has been exposed to western education – the education which has at its foundation equality of the human beings, democracy, lack of discrimination and things like that – feeling threatened by his wife achieving something. I find it incomprehensible. How can it be that you are educated but still hold on tightly to, what I consider, a primitive and retrogressive idea? My husband does not have that mentality at all. If you are an accomplished person, why should you feel threatened by somebody else’s accomplishment? Again if you claim to love a person, why should you feel threatened by the person’s success? Isn’t that person’s success yours too? Perhaps, a typical Nigerian or African man doesn’t understand what love is on the long run!

What were your good moments in the academics?

It’s been nine years I left. I loved academics because I have always loved learning. Right from childhood, I was a bookworm, sort of. I did very well in school and I enjoyed what I did. I studied French because I liked it. I remember my mother would want me to be a doctor, and for her, it wasn’t necessarily a medical doctor. She just knew that people are called doctor, and it is a nice name. but then I didn’t like the Sciences. So when I realised that I tended more towards the Arts.Interestingly in form two, a young lady came from Ireland to my school in Ibadan to teach us French and within two weeks of teaching, she won me over. And that’s how I decided to be a French teacher. Having explained to my mother that anyone could get a Ph.D. in any field of study, she agreed with me to study French so long I would be called a doctor. I promised her I was going to get a Ph.D. and of course I knew I was going to get it because I loved studying. So my best moment in academics really was to be doing what I liked and had passion for.

You have been a woman of career in the academics and politics, and this appears a rare combination. How have you been able to combine them with home management?

First of all, I have not combined politics with career, because when I decided to go into politics, I took a voluntary early retirement from the university. I retired from my position in the university in 2010 and that was when I went into politics. So, one career finished and I started another. Usually, career women are constantly being asked how they juggle career and the home front, but I wonder why you don’t ask men that question. Why don’t you ask men that question? If you are a family man, and you have a wife and children, you should be aware of the fact that you have a home that needs you. So I hope you will begin to ask men that question too because what it presupposes is, one can say, our president’s point of view that the woman is for the kitchen and the other room. I think it is something we must begin to overcome. In the present world, everybody is required to juggle the various roles that they play. You will surely find time to devote to the things that are important to you, to do them well.

• I don’t have a boyfriend — Jumoke Odetola

But then, I have been blessed to have a solid home front. My husband is not the one who thinks that women are meant for the kitchen or wherever. He is one who recognises whatever talents and abilities I have and who supports me in actualising them.

As the presidential flagbearer of KOWA in 2015, why did you not contest in 2019?

I did! I was an aspirant in my party. We had our primaries and the party chose somebody else. That’s how democracy runs. I thought the party would have built on what we had in 2015, but my party does not have a god-father whose words would be law. What people saw that I did not do that they felt the elected person could do, I do not know. We have all now realised that we made a big mistake. Many people have said that the party wasn’t as popular in the 2019 general elections as it was in 2015. Hence, we ended up with a little above 1000 votes, whereas we had above 13,000 votes in 2015.It’s a pity, but that’s part of the learning experience for the party.

Do you plan quitting KOWA? With this drive of yours, Nigerians would expect you to contest under the APC or the PDP.

No! Do you think those people are the kind one should associate with? Honestly, do you see me associating with the APC or the PDP? Some insinuate I’m pro-Buhari, just as the Buharists say I’m pro-PDP. I don’t know where those insinuations came from. I think some people have been paid to attack. If I make any comment that is against Buhari, I’m for the PDP; if I tweet against the PDP, I’m for Buhari. But these are evidences of the fact that people don’t think you have principles. I can’t endanger my soul for any political office. I don’t want a tainted reputation, either by commission or by affiliation. I am not desperate about political office in Nigeria.

Women going into politics in Nigeria are usually stigmatised as immoral. How have you been able to live above this?

I think we should just stop spreading that idea. If we keep repeating that, I think it would keep out good people from politics. Women who go into politics are normal human beings who care about and want to contribute to the well-being of their country. A woman who is interested in her home is seen to be contributing to the development of her home, why should the one caring about her country be seen as immoral. I think it’s an invention of men to keep women out. I hereby call on all women not to believe it. Again, it means all the men in politics are immoral, because women cannot be immoral all by themselves.

What has been your inspiration in life, and what is your counsel to younger women?

I have reflected on this in the book I wrote after the 2015 elections. But then, I grew up in a family where every child is treated as equal. I did not grow up thinking that men are better than women. I have always thought that our differences are physical. I would advocate that young women think like that. I grew up having excellent women around me. So, I took excellence as default life principle. My mother was very meticulous; you would start all over if she was not satisfied with the house chores she gave. I could not afford to be sloppy. I would want young women to have a sound mind. Religion is another problem we have. Our religion advocates the enemy-ideology, so much so that we become afraid, and pray more, but work less. Young women need to be bold, without necessarily succumbing to their fears so that they could enjoy life to the full.