In 2016, she trained as an inter-religious and cultural conflict resolution expert with the centre for interreligious and cultural conflict resolution Drew University, New Jersey. She has also worked as a columnist for various print newspapers including Leadership Newspapers, Daily Trust, and Blueprint Newspapers.
In this interview with IJEOMA THOMAS-ODIA, the social entrepreneur who is via for the House of Representatives seat in Kajuru/Chikun Federal Constituency, Kaduna under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), speaks about her career path and being a voice for Northern women.
Take us through your career journey?
I was born and raised in Kaduna North Local Council of Kaduna State. I started my primary school education at Kaduna Capital School and finished at the CAS staff School Zaria in 1998. I went to Queen Amina College for my secondary school education and graduated in 1993. I went to Kaduna Polytechnic in 1996 for a certificate course in Mass Communication. I ended up studying up to HND in Mass Communication at the same institution graduating in 2005. I did my NYSC at NTA Kaduna 2005/2006.
I began my journalism career at the Kaduna State Media Corporation in 2001 as a trainee reporter, after having been widowed in 1999 and weaned my child off breastfeeding. I left the KSMC for Newage Network on a paid employment in 2003, went back to school the same year for my HND and got married.
So, I was working and going to school at the same time, while still trying to raise a young family. I went on to have four more children, a PGD in Childhood Education from the National Teachers Institute, and several other courses and fellowships both home and abroad. I did an internship with the Hausa Service of DW Radio in 2011, and fellowship with the Centre for inter-religious and cultural conflict resolution of Drew University New Jersey in 2016. I am a YouWin Awardee, and funder of Maulaaya Consults, an event and media Consultancy Firm in Kaduna State.
I won a Chevening scholarship in 2018 and obtained my Master’s Degree in Multimedia Journalism from Bournemouth University United Kingdom. All these while, I have been a writer. I began writing in the early years of my career, because I felt the electronic broadcast media did not avail me with the opportunity to express my thoughts and opinions as much as I would like especially as a reporter. So, I wrote and held columns in different national dailies where I comment and share my thoughts on social and national issues. I wrote for Blueprint Newspapers the longest, but I also wrote for Leadership and Daily Trust at some point.
At the time I left Newage Network in 2008, it was to enable me give attention to my young children then and as well take a break from work. I founded Maulaaya Foundation in 2010, a children booth camp in 2010, but I could not sustain it, because I had neither the skills nor the support to. I went back to work two years later, joining the Federal Radio Corporation in 2011. That is where I retired from and delved straight into the political arena, because of my patriotism and conviction that I have a lot to contribute to building my society and country.
How are you able to build a path in politics coming from a journalism background?
It is often said that a journalist is a master of all trades. We know a bit of everything, sometimes even a lot. So, it was a very easy and natural transition, especially for the fact that I had been an advocate my entire career. I always knew that a time would come that I must transition from journalism into a space that would enable me to do more than just talk, write and volunteer.
To be honest, I initially thought that even if I would be in the political space, at best it would be in an appointive advisory role, which we all know is not as impactful as an elective position. I never saw myself as a candidate, not because I couldn’t, but because of several factors one of which is economic capacity. I know that I do not have the financial strength to pull off a successful campaign process and election. But life works in mysterious ways, because here we are today, not only campaigning, but also hopeful of winning the elections as well.
You are contesting and stand as a voice for the Northern women, how are you driving this cause?
Speaking up for and about women has been my niche; it is what I do best and have always done. All my life, I have seen, witnessed and experienced exclusion, inequality and injustice against women on different levels. These are some of the issues I have spoken and written about over the years. So, contesting a political position and standing in as a voice for women is more of just taking a step further in doing what I have always done.
Now, we are just stepping unto the next level. I cannot really say how I am driving this cause, because even in my days of writing, I just voice out my thoughts and opinions about pertinent issues without knowing I was carving a niche. So, it is more of me just working and walking in alignment with my purpose.
What has been your experience contesting for a political position?
My experience in this journey has been nothing short of exciting and interesting. There are lots of challenges of course, but there are also lots of exciting experiences, adventure, lessons, growth, and fulfilment.
What is your take on women’s participation in politics, how can we get more women to actively engage in politics?
I think women’s participation in politics is low due to the non-challance, lack of deliberate, committed, and united efforts of Nigerian women. Of course, it is not easy to achieve, but nothing is really easily achievable. However, that does not in any way make it impossible.
Of course, the factors keeping women from leadership positions are many, but the most significant are education and economic empowerment. Regardless, we can circumvent that if Nigerian women coordinate themselves well to make this happen. And unless we do that, even the 35 per cent affirmative action shall remain a mirage. And unless more women get into places where decisions are being made, a lot of things will continue to go wrong in our leadership and governance structure especially that which concerns and affects women.
Yes, we may individually not have the money we need to run for election; moreover, not everyone can run. Each one of us has got something of value that is required to achieve this, we just need to work together to make it happen, and we do have the numbers to get things done if we work to achieve it. Almost half of the Nigerian population is women, which is at least 75m. So, let us assume 1000 capable and visionary women out of this number are contesting political office but lack the finance.
If every Nigerian woman donates just N1000 to fund the campaign and election of these female candidates, that would be 75bn. That is certainly enough to fund the campaign and elections of these 1000 female candidates. Moreover, there are very affluent women, who can comfortably afford much more, or even single-handedly fund the elections of one or more female candidates.
Do you know what this means? It means that Nigerian women are collectively involved in the leadership process and these legislators will most certainly work towards ensuring a lot of things change especially for women. There are currently 19 female legislators out of 469 in both the Senate and House of Representatives, which is not even up to 10 per cent. This is a very poor ratio, and one of the reasons why the female legislators are incapable of passing any of the gender bills. Moreover, I doubt if any of these female legislators believe or understand that they have a responsibility to participate in uplifting the cause of Nigerian women in every way necessary. I wish we know how many of these female legislators are supporting a female candidate; this is something we need to ask and know.
One thing is certain, only women know and understand women’s problems and needs. So, if we desire for women’s rights to be protected in Nigeria, if we desire equality and inclusion, we need to get ourselves to that place where every Nigerian woman understands that she has a role to play in ensuring this happens, not just for the present, but for the future either as a candidate, a supporter, a mentor or Godmother. We have the numbers, and it is achievable, but only if we wholeheartedly work towards achieving it.
A lot of us Nigerian women have over the years been so comfortable sitting on the fence. But we all need to understand that at the state we are currently, as a society and country, sitting on the fence and doing nothing is no longer an option. The facts are already getting scarier.
Right now, there are less women contesting in the 2023 elections than there were in 2019. This means there will be even fewer female lawmakers and women in elected positions in the next dispensation. So, unless Nigerian women rise to the occasion, there will be even fewer candidates in 2027. Then we truly would have regressed beyond the stone ages.
What drives you?
Belief in myself, that I always have something to offer no matter where I am in life. And the courage to never give up no matter how hard or difficult it gets.
If you were to advice young women out there on building a career especially in politics, what would it be?
I always advice young people, especially women, to desist from being ordinary; I believe we are all extraordinary in our unique and different ways, but society has conditioned us to downplay our uniqueness believing it is bad or unacceptable. I also encourage them to brace up, constantly push and position themselves for self-growth, build and discipline themselves to embrace and conquer challenges, because life is full of them.
Globally, Women have been disenfranchised and excluded for centuries. Therefore, we now must work twice or sometimes even ten times harder than men to accomplish anything. But we must not relent, because women’s voices are needed and belongs to every table where decisions are being made.
What is your life mantra?
Believe in yourself. Be kind. Be truthful. Be thankful. Everything good will follow.
