16082018 - Uproar as EFCC seeks minutes of Benue's security meetings

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2018 — 27
I have to make extra sacrifice
to keep my seat
- Maduagwu, only female speaker in Nigeria
Rita Maduagwu is the Speaker,
Anambra State House of Assembly.
She assumed the speaker-ship
position in the 6th assembly in
Anambra State under the auspices
of All Progressives Grand Alliance,
APGA and is the only female
speaker among the 36 state
speakers in Nigeria. In an interview
with Ebun Sessou, she speaks on
the challenges confronting women
in taking active positions in the
political affairs of Nigeria while
attributing the major challenge to
finance. She also bares her mind
on the difficulties women encounter
in the process of discharging their
leadership duties. Excerpt
Tell us your experience as the
speaker of Anambra
It’s been fun although there are
some hiccups along the line but
with the grace of God, I surmount
it. My major focus is to keep on
working till I get to my destination
when God says I should stop.
How long have you been in
politics?
Eight years. And I did not just rise
to speaker-ship position. You must
be a ranking member in my state
for you to be the speaker of the state
assembly. This is my second term
in the House of Assembly. I vied
with my colleagues as the speaker
of Anambra State House of
Assembly, fortunately, the speakership
was zoned to my region and I
won.
Challenges
There were no challenges just that
in my state, certain positions are
zoned. Governorship is zoned to
the North, Deputy Governor to the
Central and speaker to the South
and I came from the South. I
contended with some ranking
members from the South Senatorial
zone. I contended with the men
and a woman and I won by the
grace of God.
...And since you became speaker?
It has not been easy being the
number 3 person in the state. It
Any woman
who decides
to go into
politics must
have the
financial
backup
has been the grace of God. What a
man would have done once, you
have to go the extra mile before
you are appreciated. If it is the men,
people do not worry even if they
are mediocre. As a woman, you
must go the extra mile to get to the
position where people would see
that you are working. And that is
the problem. So, if I want to be
appreciated, I have to do the
extraordinary and that is why I am
still on the speaker-ship seat. I go
the extra mile to be the best that I
can. And that is how it has been
since we started. This is my third
year as the speaker.
The issue of more women not
actively involved in politics is
becoming worrisome, what is the
view on this?
It is not easy contesting election. It
is easier when it is an appointive
position. But, for an elective
position, it is very tough. It is even
tougher now that things are getting
worse in Nigeria. Most of the time,
the men would not give you a
chance to come out boldly to make
your intention known. If you do not
have the financial support, you will
not be able to venture into politics.
Therefore, any woman who
•Rita Maduagwu, Speaker, House of Assembly Anambra State
decides to go into politics must
have the financial backup and that
is the only way to influence the
society and compete with others. It
is the financial backup that makes
it easy for the women to survive in
politics otherwise, the men will
push you aside. Once, you have
something that can really help you
financially, then you can decide to
go into politics. These days, people
are comfortable engaging and
working with women and making
them better persons more than the
men. Women perform better than
the men in their various
constituencies.
Are you suggesting women
should lie-low in active politics?
If they have the financial muscle,
they are free to come out. Nothing
stops you from competing with a
man. The truth is that we have more
women that vote and that is an
advantage but the problem is that
most women are not as buoyant as
the men. The men spend so much
money getting there and if a woman
does not have the wherewithal, it
will be difficult to get there and that
is a problem. It is not as if women
cannot contest but the major thing
is the financial muscle you need to
get there.
Since you assumed speaker-ship
position in your state, what has
been your driving force?
The 6th Anambra State House of
Assembly is the most peaceful,
vibrant and proactive state
legislatures in the country devoid
of confusion and rancour. Issues of
impeachment moves, secret plots
as well as other anti-democratic
tendencies are non-existent in the
current state assembly.
It is a business of rules. There are
house rules that guide you in
whatever you are supposed to do.
And if you do the wrong thing, your
members are there to say no. The
rules guide everybody both the
speaker and the members. Every
state has house rules and that is
what guide the state. And you must
be conversant with the house rules.
Your home-front
God has blessed me in that aspect
because I started early. My
children have grown up. My last
son just graduated this year in
Scotland and he came out with first
class. I am not rearing children and
I also have an understanding
husband who is always there for
me. I have been coping.
Politics: Female lawmaker
calls for more
participation of women
By Ebun Sessou
Member, Lagos State
House of Assembly, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Tejuosho
has urged more women to participate in politics as a
strategy to stabilise the country.
Tejuosho who made the call at the just-concluded
Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly
in Nigeria maintained that women as a stabilising
factor, are capable of restoring peace in the country
when they are well engaged in the affairs of the nation.
According to her, women are agents of change and
they are more than enough, therefore, we will continue
to encourage women as stabilisers of the home-front
to come out and stabilise the nation as a whole.
The lawmaker who is the Chairman, House
Committee on Information, Strategy and Security
representing Mushin Constituency 1, reiterated that
it would be a good omen for the nation if more women
come into politics. She added that women need
continuous encouragement to come into politics.
“Women are good managers of the home, we are able
to multi-task. We take care of our husbands, children,
home-front, we also take care of our offices.