Nigeria lawmaker wey dey represent di Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) Ireti don chook mouth for di involvement of women inside politics.
Dis dey come as pipo dey tok about women participation in politics and support for women to pass bills and laws wey go encourage women participation for politics.
For exclusive interview wit BBC Pidgin, Senator Ireti Kingibe wey dey among di only four female senators for di Nigeria Senate say one of di problems wey women inside goment and politics dey face na say dem no dey fit tok dia mind.
“Plenti pipo (women) dey fear to tok dia mind, I don hear wen you tok say dis chair no good but wen dem con ask you officially, you go tok say na di best chair be dat, me I go con begin wonder say but na you tok say di chair bin no good.?
Some women for goment dey fear to tok dia mind.”
She add say anoda issue na say, women dey feel say so far as dem don reach wia dem wan go for politics and governance e no mata again.
“One of di tins wey I don notice for women wey get position, I notice am wen I dey run, dem dey fear to support oda women and I no know why.?”
According to her, Nigeria na one of di kontris wey get di lowest number of women inclusion for di world and and e dey hard dem to pass bills wey dey gender related.
“Women no dey inside, di way dem suppose dey, no be only for politics, Nigeria na di lowest for world ranking in terms of women involvement for governance.”
She say one of di ways to address women inclusion for governance and politics na “to create special seats for women, we call am 74 Special seats and make dem pass law wey go mandate dem to give women 35 percent of evritin.”
‘My legislative challenges as FCT senator’
She say di challenges as a senator, especially as she dey represent Nigeria Capital , di FCT no easy at all.
According to her, wetin she tink wen she bin dey run for di position and wetin dey inside na two different things.
“Wetin you see for outside and wetin dey inside dey completely different, e no easy like dat to change tins wey don spoil well-well, e hard well-well.”
” Until we get zero tolerance for corruption, dis kontri no go fit go anywia, If I be president today di agency I go hold well-well na di National Orientation Agency”
Di former APC women leader for di FCT tok say, sake of di number of bills wey dem dey pass evriday, e dey make her work as a legislator for di FCT hard.
“Di National Assembly no dey pay attention to do fact say na dem be di state Assembly for FCT, e make all di tins wey I wan do almost impossible.
E get some funds wey oda states dey access but FCT no fit access am becos dem no get di enabling law.
If di National Assembly fit allocate one day evri two weeks wey dem go handle FCT mata, e go good.”
She tell BBC Pidgin say as di House Committee Chairman of Women Affairs, di main issue be say na few women lawmakers dey for national assembly as compared to men.
Di number dey make bills wey dey related to women hard to pass sake of say di men no dey too understand di women issues to listen or vote for am.
“Man neva carry belle bifor (pregnancy) so how you wan take explain to am how women dey feel during pregnancy and make laws wey go support beta maternal health? if more women dey, e go dey easy because dem understand wetin e be.”
‘I no get any relationship wit di FCT minister’
Ireti Kingibe wey be one of di founding members for Labour Party for di FCT say “My biggest challenge na di fact say di FCT Minister no dey tok or listen to senator.”
She tell BBC Pidgin say she no get any kind pf relationship wit di FCT Minister and e dey make work hard for her and dey also make di pipo suffer.
“Even though di FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike dey do many road and water projects, dis project dey benefit mainly rich pipo while di poor ones no dey feel di impact.
If you tell me say minister say make I come now-now I go carry myself go, I no get any issues, but im say im no recognise say senator dey for dis place.
I no get issues, anytin wey go make my pipo benefit, if im say make I sit down for ground im go come tok to me, so far e go benefit my pipo I go sit down for ground, make im sef sit down for ground make we resolve di issue.” She tok.
Di first time senator say one of di bills she wan pass na make di FCT get mayor wey go dey govern di city.
“Mayor na im most capitals of cities dey get, wen we bin dey build FCT, na im we bin need minister, now wey we don build finish, na Mayor we need”
Labour Party leadership crisis
Labour Party wey be one of di main opposition parties for Nigeria dey face leadership crisis.
Di crisis start immediately afta di 2023 general elections. Dis kasala wey di party dey face don make some ogbonge pipo run comot (defect) from di party.
Senator Ireti Kingibe win her senate position for di first time as Labour party candidate.
Dis na afta she don try wit oda parties and she no succeed to get ticket for many years.
According to her, di kasala wey labour party dey face no good at all.
“Di leadership kasala wey dey happun for LP dey unfortunate and becos we neva finish di kasala na why some pipo wey no dey patient dey comot. time still dey to resolve di kasala for Labour Party.”
She explain say Labour Party wey becom veri popular wen former Anambra state Govnor, Peter Obi emerge as di Presidential candidate for di 2023 elections still get chance for 2027.
“Labour Party get chance well-well to win for di upcoming elections, na weda di kasala go kon yawa evritin na im be di problem, but if na to win, di pipo like us”
“For ground now, possibility dey say all di parties wey no be APC fit join togeda and if e happun, di LP kasala don resolve, no troway LP yet o, either as LP or mega party somtin go happun.”
On di way wey pipo dey jump and port from one party to anoda, she describe am as lawlessness.
“Nigerians no dey obey law, Constitution say if dem vote for you under one party if you comot from di party, you suppose to lose your seat, but e also say if kasala dey for di party you fit go.
For me, if you don win seat, I tink say e dey wrong for you to go anoda place, if kasala dey, make you wait to see wia di kasala go carry you reach, no be say for morning you neva wait till afternoon you begin tok say e don too bad.”
On di demolition of properties for FCT
Demolition na one issue wey dey common for di Nigeria Capital, Abuja and Senator Ireti say na lawlessness and corruption dey make di FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike to break pipo house anyhow.
“Nigeria get laws full ground, even FCT Minister sef get process, e get procedure wey im suppose to follow.”
E explain to BBC Pidgin say before minister break your house, you go don commit some offence.
Di mata suppose to go court wia e go tell court say you no do well and im wan break your house.
She say court go summon di pesin to come tok im own, finally, na court go kon decide weda dem go break di house or not.
“Maybe im know di law or maybe im no know, me sef no know but like say im be my friend I for tell am say minister no be so ooo.
Minister and Senator suppose work togeda to make di life of di pipo beta and not worse. We no suppose love each oda, we suppose work togeda.
Goment dey continue, I no fit take land wey you get titled documents go give anoda pesin.”
She say even though plenti pipo no get Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) e no dey compulsory as wetin pipo really need to get na Right of Occupancy (R of O) and approval from di Federal Capital Development Authority.
“Plenti pipo no get C of O becos e no dey mandatory, wen dem give you di Right of Occupancy R of O, wen you carry am go for approval and dem approve wetin you wan build, e don finish.”
Dr. Opoku-Antwi is the owner of Spintex Knights
