Ireti Kingibe, senator representing the federal capital territory (FCT), says being a woman in the national assembly is pretty difficult.
Kingibe spoke on Thursday, when an anonymous person at the
2024 edition of Voice of Women (VOW) conference and awards, accused her of
abandonment and ingratitude after women cast their votes for her.
The event had the theme: ‘Achieving Women Inclusion for a
Sustainable Nigeria’.
The anonymous speaker said FCT women voted for the senator
due to a trust in the capabilities of women, but that since last year, there
has been no avenue or town hall organised by the senator to show her gratitude.
“Now, those women we
mobilised are now looking at us and saying that they have given us money, they
have given us salt, rice, when there is nothing as such. They didn’t even call
us to their inauguration, they didn’t come back to say thank you,” she said.
Responding, Kingibe said there is a misconception on what
governance entails.
She said instead of going to meet people individually, she
believes in bringing governance to the people through her initiatives.
“I have been a
senator for a year and half, I am primarily a legislator. I have bills waiting
to be passed, creating the nursing and midwifery school In Gwagwalada, I have a
maternal free healthcare for women. I have a few of such bills still pending,”
she said.
“But notwithstanding, since I have been a senator, I have
empowered and I have everything on record. I have empowered 10,000 people. Now,
it is not possible… FCT has 4 to 5 million people and for me to personally see
everybody that voted for me.
“I am also building a 50-bed hospital, I am putting up an
ICT centre in Gwagwalada and Nyanya. I paid with my personal money 2,000 JAMB
forms for free.
“So, at the end of the day, governance means to me… bringing
things for the general good and not for the individual.
“The truth is that
being a woman in the national assembly is very, very, very hard. So, I have to
lobby for everything. When I leave here, I will go to the national assembly,
sign in and then go from ministry to ministry so that all those things that
doesn’t get attention by the executive, I can slip them into the budget from
lobbying different ministers to put it in their budget.
“I have also renovated with my personal money and made
allowance for the ante-natal centre in Gwagwalada teaching hospital. Any of you
can go and verify all these things.
“So, I’m sorry. Yes, women complain, I haven’t come to them
one by one; it is not possible. It is either I do that and then you don’t get
anything else.
“So that is my frustration and I want women to understand
that you are voting for other women so that our general lives will improve not
because she is going to come and meet you personally.
Also speaking during the event, Toun Okewale Sonaiya, chief
executive officer of Women Radio, urged President Bola Tinubu to lend his voice
and political will to the inclusion of women in Nigerian politics and
socio-economic spaces.
“I call on President Bola Tinubu to lend his voice to
securing the 74 seats allocated to women. Use your voice and political will to
elevate women inclusion in Nigerian politics and society to global standards,”
she said.
Sonaiya also called on female participants at the event to
put aside their emotions, societal limitations and support women in the
election of women to leadership positions.
“I don’t believe the saying that women forget other women
when they get into positions of power. I say, let’s get them into government
first,” she said.
“That way, we can
have more people representing our needs. If you have money, no matter how
little, support the campaign of a woman seeking elective positions.”
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