She is the first female local government chairman in the history of Rivers State politics. Pastor Emilia Gilbert Nteh, former council chairman of Andoni local government area has chosen politics to thread where other women dread. As a Rivers State coordinator of the Goodluck-to-Goodluck, G2G political group, she calls on married men to allow their wives to venture into the game and play it to the glory of God. In this interview with our Senior Correspondent Daniel Abia, she says there is no stopping Jonathan for second term and that the North should stop playing politics with the lives of Nigerians and a lot more. Excerpts:
You are the first female local government chairman in Rivers State, what was your initial challenges in office and how did you handle them?
By the special grace of God Almighty, I was the first female chairman of a local government council in Rivers State as you rightly pointed out. Going into such a big political office in local government politics at that level was a great challenge. And more so, as a little girl that I was at the time, it was not an easy thing for me. I was not too exposed politically but God took me there by His mercies and grace. It was not by my power. I had too many challenges but God saw me through all of that. My aim was to take the entire Andoni local government area unto God by way of development. I made a promise to God that my desire in that council was to bring development to my people. So my few days in office were dedicated towards that.
How did you face the challenge of suitors coming at this time, as a single and unmarried lady?
As regards the challenges of men suitors coming to you all the time, it is a known fact that men believe in this part of the world that women’s activities should end in the kitchen. But the bible has already specified that women are help’s meet to the men. I also believe that if you train one woman, you have as well trained the entire nation. I was also very aware that if you sit down there as a council chairman you are also the leader of the men. So if you consider all of these, you will definitely appreciate the kind of challenge I faced then. All I needed then was God’s humility and grace and He gave them to me in abundance. I was able to overcome those challenges even in the midst of men who were complaining and murmuring why a woman should be made a chairman in a place where there are real men.
Now you are the coordinator of Goodluck to Goodluck (G2G) group in Rivers State, can you tell us a little more about the activities of the group?
Yes, I am the Rivers State coordinator of Goodluck to Goodluck 2015 project and as a daughter of the state from the Niger Delta, my intention is that history should record that at a time like this we stood by our own brother, our in-law and our son. To me, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is not from Bayelsa State but from Rivers State. Any other person may have his or her opinion. Goodluck grew up here, he schooled here and he worked here. So, it is an honour that a Rivers man is the President of this country. It is therefore our overall responsibility that he comes back for the second term because it is his right. He has just run one term. The essence of G2G therefore is to ensure that he comes back in 2015. By the special grace of God, this group, G2G has embarked on so many projects. It has an unprecedented followership cut across all works of life. We are all mobilizing across the state to ensure that he comes back and he must come back because first of all, the constitution allows him and God is also behind him.
What has President Jonathan done spectacularly for the people of Rivers to warrant the overwhelming support you think he should be given?
We cannot limit Jonathan to Rivers State. If we want to talk about his achievements, we are going to look at Nigeria in general. That way, we will appreciate him the more. President Jonathan is not the President of Rivers State but of Nigeria. In Rivers like every other state in the country, there are governors whose responsibility is to ensure the development of their states. The President is in charge of the whole nation and he has achieved so much in his few years. In this country, the railway system was dead, power was almost dead but he has resuscitated all of that and more. Look at the Almajiri schools, were they there before! Jonathan has done so much and we must say this. This group has the capacity to go to the rural areas to persuade people to come out for the voters registration exercise. That will start this August. After the 2015 election, this group will not be disbanded, we will continue to support his administration and tell people that there is a need to continue to work for the success of his government.
Rivers is currently run by an APC government, do you think the PDP can wrest back power from this APC-driven administration?
Rivers is not an APC state; I choose to disagree with others. Rivers is PDP. PDP will sweep the state in the next general election. If PDP was not on ground, we will not have come this far as a group. We are barely three months old in the state. I love this game called politics. Politics is a game of the intelligence. I see it as a profession. I join politics because I believe that we have to make it right. We all went to the same school, study the same course with our male counterparts, so why can’t a woman be trusted with a higher office? I am into politics to make a difference. I must also tell you that women are more trusted in terms of confidence than the men. As a woman, when you want to go into politics, you must embrace God to guide you through. And as a woman, you must zip up and respect yourself. You don’t touch me because I am honorable. Let me advise other men to allow their wives to come into politics. In my place, when you are known to have messed up yourself in politics, nobody will trust you for anything again. When I married, I made my husband to know that I am in politics. What he did was to support me. Political meetings are always fixed by 2am or 3am so as to scare women away. But fix your meeting at any time, and I will be there.
What is the guarantee that President Goodluck Jonathan will win the 2015 election given the numerous challenges we face as a nation?
It is not you and I that brought Jonathan to be where he is today. He did not bring himself. It is God that brought him and that God is still there. All the women are praying for him because he has given women so much opportunity to serve in his government. When a man prays, God answers but when a woman kneels down and cries to God, Heaven comes down. We are the last born of God. Goodluck has touched a lot of women. He has already won the 2015 election. We are waiting for his swearing-in. We have organised a night vigil for the kidnapped Chibok girls. The kidnap saga is political. They want to use it to destabilize the President. Jonathan is a focused man. I know that what is happening in the north is all about politics. Boko Haram has not told us why they are killing people. When militancy was reigning in the south-south, the people had reasons to do what they were doing. The entire country is enjoying the oil that comes from here but nobody has been empowered, no development. But the Boko Haram members have not even told us what they want. I see this as politics.
There is a serious agitation about where the next governor of Rivers State should come from. As an Ijaw woman, do you also support the rotational governorship?
I will want the Rivers people to go back to God. Let God choose who He wants to rule the state. We want a God-fearing leader. We want somebody that will have respect for God. We want a governor that will serve God and rule that office with the fear of God, it does not matter where he comes from.
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