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From Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti
Hon (Mrs) Adeteju Okuyiga is the lawmaker representing Gbonyin constituency at the sixth Ekiti State House of Assembly.
The chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti was re-elected in the March 18 State Assembly election to represent her constituency the second time at the incoming (seventh) Assembly.
In this interview, the lawmaker spoke on her re-election, the sixth(outgoing)assembly and other issues.
The outgoing assembly comprises 26 lawmakers and all of them are of the APC, out of which four of you are women and among the four, you were the only woman who won a return ticket at your party’s primary election and was re-elected to represent your constituency the second time, what would you say earned you another opportunity to serve your people?
I wouldn’t say it was a particular thing because every constituency has its own peculiarity. I am the first female from my constituency to have been elected to the House of Assembly, so, I think that too contributed to my being considered again. Then, I have performed well. Their expectations were met and I believe that the leaders just felt in their own understanding that, let her do it again. My representation isn’t business as usual being a woman. I think they saw and they are still seeing a lot of differences now that I am representing them compared to when the men were doing it. I will say that is the major thing that brought me back.
In the election, your party anticipated 26 – 0 victory, that is, winning all the 26 seats in the assembly but the reverse played out with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) grabbing two seats, what do you say to that development?
Yes, we expected 26 – 0 victory because we believe and we know that the government of the day has really done well and still doing well for the people of the state and so we believe people should reciprocate by voting for all the candidates of our party in the election.
What is your assessment of the sixth legislative house that will be coming to an end in June and what should the people of the state expect from the incoming assembly?
The current and sixth assembly has been good, has been okay. They do everything in their power to make sure that it is all about the people of Ekiti State. We legislate, we make laws. We make laws in tandem with what the executive wants. It has been a peaceful collaboration between the executive and the legislature in the state. The relationship has been very cordial and I believe that we are going to take this to the seventh assembly and even improve more on the shortcomings of this assembly; we are going to improve more on them at the seventh assembly.
Let me also add that since we represent different constituencies and each constituency has its own peculiarity, when we see what our constituency wants we bring it to the assembly and we deliberate on it and the state government being a government that is very close to the grassroots, that has created a kind of synergy between the legislature and the executive and that has resulted in a robust legislation and this will also reflect in the seventh assembly.
You recently received a Certificate of Return, how did you feel when you received that certificate the second time?
Receiving that certificate for the second time was a feeling that I couldn’t really describe but it was a good feeling, a great feeling. With this, it means I have to do more of the good things that I have been doing before. It is the reward for hard work.
So, what should your people expect from you as you represent them again?
They have already told me that they want a better representation, that I should improve on what I have been doing. They even told me that they are Oliver Twist, that they want more and this by the grace of God I will give to them, more of greater things.
The outgoing assembly has four women lawmakers while six women will be representing their constituencies in the incoming assembly, this number is the highest in the history of the state, what does this mean to you?
Ekiti State is known for being gender sensitive. The immediate past governor of the state, Dr Kayode Fayemi and his wife, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, really did well in terms of making sure that the female gender is recognised, that the female gender has a place in the scheme of things; that is why we have four females in the current assembly and that is why we have improved on it in the incoming assembly, I mean, the seventh assembly that we are now six.
Gender issue has always been at the forefront of APC government in Ekiti State and this they have been promoting, that is why it has reflected in the last election that we now have six women that will be representing their constituencies in the house of assembly.
In what way has the current assembly been able to positively impact the lives of women and girls in the state and what should they expect from the seventh assembly?
This sixth assembly in collaboration with the executive, has done so much for women, girls, children and even the men because this government is the government of the people. Now there are some laws that have been passed on gender base. We have the gender-based violence law, under this, we have rape victims, law against female genital mutilation. There is the mental health law and others. Now, the rate of abuse is on the decrease this is because of the zero tolerance for abuse in Ekiti State. We have the name and shame law, if you are a rapist, we have a law that will name and shame you and you will also be convicted.
There is this fear in Ekiti now because it is no longer business as usual with women and girls, you cannot abuse them and the female gender is now like an egg that you cannot touch.
Also, there is a female centre in the sixth house of assembly. It was commissioned by the wife of the immediate past governor of the state, Erelu Bisi Fayemi. It was a department that was newly created by females in the sixth assembly. It was not in existence before. It is meant to promote the interest of not only the children but the females at large, both the aged and young and since its creation in the past two years, the roles they have played and still playing have been great. So, the sixth assembly has done well with the gender based laws that we have passed.
Women have been said to be under-represented both in elective and appointive positions, what do you think can be done to change the narrative?
Women have been underrepresented in elective and appointive positions in the country. And that also played out in the last National Assembly election. Now, we are going to have fewer women in the incoming National Assembly(10th NASS.), We really have to work to make sure that these things don’t repeat themselves, we have to improve on it. But, this is not so in Ekiti State. In Ekiti State, we have been promoting and supporting women. We have been trying to have the 35 percent affirmative action for women and this is what we have been doing. In the current assembly and the executive, I think we recorded about 20 percent of women in government and now in the legislature alone we have recorded 23 percent. We are getting there in Ekiti. Like the current governor of the state, Biodun Oyebanji, his deputy is a woman, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) is a woman, the Speaker of the current assembly is a woman, the Auditor General for Local Governments is a woman, the President of the Customary Court of Appeal is a woman. Also, in the various local governments in the state, we have women as chairmen and vice chairmen. So, the government of Ekiti State is making sure that women are not relegated in any way.
Let me also add that in Ekiti State, we have more women in politics, if other states can take a cue from Ekiti State whereby their women are being promoted, encouraged to participate more in politics, let them realize that politics is not a man’s game, it is not a man’s business but a way of life; it is not gender sensitive, anybody can come in and that is what we have established in Ekiti State, this is not only in politics but also in the public service, civil service and others in Ekiti State. We have let them know what a man can do, a woman can also do and even better.
Another thing is that there is a need for a kind of sensitisation of our men, to give their women a chance to also participate in politics. They should not see women as weaker vessels, they should be less masculine and see women as partners, that they are in progress together. In the last administration in Ekiti, the Head of Service was a woman, in person of Mrs Peju Babafemi, and she did wonderfully well and also all the women earlier mentioned are doing great in their various capacities in the state. So, having more women in leadership positions will be better for the society at large.
