Hon. Elizabeth Ativie is the only female member of the Edo State House of Assembly. In this interview with Special Correspondent Isaac Olamikan, the All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart revealed the secrets of her relationship with Governor Adams Oshiomhole and why she is interested in coming back to the legislative chambers. She also speaks on the perceived marginalisation of women in politics and other issues.Excerpts:
What were you doing before you became a politician?
I was into voluntary service. I was a member of the Girl Guides Association; training young girls to be responsible housewives, be well informed so as to have skills that will help them actualise their dreams. Many of the girls I trained are mothers; some are working in the banks, some are working in the airports etc.
Everywhere I go, there will always be somebody who’ll approach me and give me a helping hand. I was one time state chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN). I moved from training girls to training both boys and girls. In my time, I built the Youth House on Akpakpava Road; I acquired a land, raised funds and built the house. So, the youths of Edo State have a place of their own. About two months ago they invited me and named the multipurpose hall after me. When the youths saw what I was doing at the state level, they elected me as the first female national youth president of NYCN. It is on record that I am the only woman to occupy that office. I have now been made a life member of the board of trustees of NYCN because of what I have impacted on the lives of the youths.
What other things have you done?
I also operate two NGOs for youths and women where we mobilise women, give advocacy to women and also fight for their rights. I brought all the NGOs fighting HIV/AIDS together in Edo State that culminated in the federal and state governments now taking over and forming the national and state agency for action against aids. We were the first group that was raising awareness and engaging the government about it. Today, we can proudly say that the incidence of HIV/AIDS has reduced drastically in Nigeria.
How did you come into politics?
As a public health nurse, I have been involved in service all the while. So, when I came into politics it was not strange to me. For me, I believe that politics is about service to your people. So, these ideas that have been flowing in my blood I brought them into politics. Even when I showed interest in politics, the first time I was still a civil servant. I worked for 33 years as a civil servant rising to the level of Assistant Director of Nursing Services. I remember that the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health where I worked encouraged me that I will make it big in politics. He advised me not to resign yet but to go and test the political waters first.
I started by attending party meetings, I saw that politics is a calling. I went back to inform my boss, the Permanent Secretary that I have decided to join politics. He prayed for me. But it was not rosy. The first time I contested with Hon. Samson Osagie for the House of Assembly seat, the party leaders asked that I should step down for him as he had earlier contested for the position of chairman of Uhunmwode Local Government Council, he lost and the party promised him that he would be given the House of Assembly ticket. I obeyed. The second time I reminded the leaders of our earlier agreement. They again appealed that I should let him do a second tenure; he spent eight years in the Assembly chambers. When he had completed his second tenure, my campaign slogan was that he should go to the next level so that a space could be created for me to operate without hindrance.
How was it like in your first outing to contest for an elective position?
The experiences I had in my NGO world were valuable. When I was doing NGO, my NGO had partnership with the European Union (EU) under the MPP6 project. Fortunately for me, many of the projects my NGO did which were sponsored by the EU were in Uhunmwode, Orhionmwon and Ikpoba-Okha local government areas and that brought me very close to the people. It was our responsibility to go to the communities and find out their felt needs. There are felt needs assessment forms which we filled with the communities. When you enter a community, the men may tell you “we want a town hall while the women may say they need a market; then the youths may say we want a hospital.” But by the time we began to fill the forms with them we will eventually get to the felt needs of the community. They’ll see that the town hall and hospital they asked for are not their real needs. The way the EU designed that form is very interesting. When we have discovered their felt needs we’ll set up a nine-man committee made up of three men, three women and three youths. The committee will then raise 10 per cent of the total cost of the project while the MPP6 will bring the remaining 90 per cent. I had a lot of projects in my constituency so when I became a politician, they already knew me and so I had little or no work to do to convince them of my good intentions. In fact, all the other candidates of my party in my locality during my first election rode on my back. Enigies, Odionweres from Ikpoba-Okha and Orhionmwon local government areas were now coming to the Enigies in Uhunmwode to testify for me. So the Enigies in Uhunmwode were overwhelmed that if their colleagues fro neighbouring local government areas could testify for their daughter then we’ll support her too. By the grace of God I have not failed them.
Nigeria’s politics is dominated by men; it seems that the 35 per cent affirmation for women in politics as canvassed by Mrs Patience Jonathan has not been effective. So, are you comfortable with the level of female participation in politics?
No, I am not. In fact, female representation in elective position has even reduced. From the statistics that we were given when we went for a conference in December at Abuja, it has reduced by 30 per cent.
What is the cause of that?
There are many causes. One, the political parties have refused to open up space for women. Those who are going to be governors in 2019 havebeen named by the party leaders without the involvement of the women. Secondly, even the women are not helping issues. The men who will contest elections in 2019 have started reaching out. They have started strategising. The women will come out at the last minute and once they’re denied the ticket, they’ll go back and sleep. It doesn’t work like that. You have to be consistent. You have to be visible. I cannot go to the electorate and say ‘give me this position because I am a woman.’ I can only canvass for a position because I have the capacity to deliver the dividends of democracy. I’ll fight to get what I desire; that I am a woman is an added advantage. It should not be the primary reason that I think I should be there. Women must be focused. Let me give you an example. When they were doing the local government elections, I worked assiduously to see that a lot of women emerged as chairmanship candidates. I went as far as calling some of them. When they were posting legislators to the different localities to screen the candidates, I ensured that I was posted to a locality where I was sure a woman was contesting. I had the intention of ensuring that the woman remained the only candidate for the election. But to my shock when I got there she told me that she has been told by the leaders of the party to step down for the men; that in fact she did not fill the form. That is the kind of thing that you will find among the women although there are still a few who will struggle just like I did to get elected.
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