In the concluding part of this interview, Hon. Elizabeth Ativie, the only female member in the Edo State House of Assembly, tells Special Correspondent Isaac Olamikan, why she is interested in coming back to the legislative chambers and what she has in stock for her constituents.
What is your take on Mrs
Jonathan’s call for positive
affirmation for women?
She has not handled the issue properly. She started well only for her to later let her husband’s ambition
Hon. Elizabeth Ativie
submerge her dream. That is why when she started this time people did not take her seriously; that was last time women believed that she was fighting for them.Look at wife of Dr. Kayode Fayemi, the former governor of Ekiti State. She ensured that at least six women got elected into the state House of Assembly. She canvassed for the women and went as far as spending money and resources for their success at the polls. That was the kind of action we expected from Dame Jonathan. God will give us a first lady who will be sincere on the issues pertaining to women. Thirdly, we need legislation. Legislation is the answer. Just like they did in some other countries like South Africa, Jordan etc. Once that is done at the national level, it gives an impetus. Even where there is law, Nigerians still circumvent it not to talk of when there is none to back the issue of 35 per cent affirmation for women. That is what we expected from the first lady. When she started her campaign the National Assembly was dominated by the PDP. If she had put in a little, effort then it would have scaled through.
How were you able to replicate what your NGO did earlier when you assumed office as a lawmaker? Why I succeeded was as a result of my tenacity. For instance, when I started my free health programme a lot of people advised that I should hand it over to the local government council authority but I objected to the idea because the council built a few primary health care centres, which they cannot maintain. Most of the primary health care centres in the different localities are not functional. Secondly, you cannot implement another person’s vision as well as the original owner. I decided to handle it alone. All I will do is to abstain from some pleasures that I would have been enjoying as a legislator. For instance, the SUV I bought before I became a lawmaker is what I am still using l today. So, I put all the resources at my disposal to the service of my people. We started the project in 2012 and we’re still doing it. In fact, it’s the project that we’ve to campaign as we go on the campaign train now in my locality. That is the project that lifted me above my opponents. I have very strong opposition but the people of my constituency insist that it is me that they want.
What other thing have you done?
I also rebuilt four dilapidated schools. I also provided motorised borehole for water; lack of potable water is a serious problem in my area. I try as much as I could to fix some of these problems within the limit of the resources available to me as a lawmaker. I have graded roads of about 41 kilomtres within the local government area, which pass through six villages and some camps. The project cost me about N4 million which I paid in installments. I also bought some chairs and tables for schools where pupils were hitherto sitting on the bare floor. So, everything I got from the Assembly chambers I ploughed back into my constituency.
Ordinarily, with what you have just said about your scorecard and as it is obtainable in Nigeria one would have thought that you should be thinking of going to the next level not returning to the House of Assembly. So, what went wrong?
There is an unwritten agreement between Orhionmwon and Uhunmwode, the two local government councils that make up the House of representatives constituency. The first time the incumbent deputy governor of the state, Pius Odubu, from Orhionmwon, spent eight years there. He left and Hon. Samson Osagie from my local government area is about finishing his own eight years. Now it is the turn of Orhionmwon to spend their own eight years there. So, I do not want to be the one that will rock the boat of the gentleman’s agreement. Thus it is reasonable for me to come back to the House of Assembly to do my own eight years tenure.
What are those things you plan to do for the betterment of your constituents this second time?
I come from a typical rural community. Most of our villages are in the interior. They’re not along the express road. The local government extends to Agbor in Delta State, to Owan, Esan and even Ovia local government areas. We’re far from development. Most of our communities have no light. By the grace of God, when I come back, I will impress on the government to bring us at par with the other local government areas. I will use all the instruments that my people have given to me to influence government to ensure that we’re brought at par with the other local government areas in terms of basic and social amenities. Thank God we make the law for good governance and we make the appropriation. By the grace of God I am not going to be a first timer then. I’ll make sure that my people get their fair share. It is unfortunate that those that have represented us in the past were not aggressive about the development of the place. All the big names in Benin all come from Uhunmwode but they have not impacted their locality.
There is a gist around town that your real target is Osadebey Avenue (Government House). How true is this?
I never eyed Osadebey Avenue but the truth is that but for certain things I ought to be the deputy governor of this state. I and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole started this fight together. That is the relationship between us. I have never said this to anybody but he says it in every forum. He even said it in a recent meeting. We had a disagreement somewhere when I told him that he should let us remain in the PDP and fight for our ticket there. He said that there was no space in the party and that the party leaders were not sincere. He left for Action Congress (AC) but I refused to follow him. When he was the NLC president I was the NYCN president. Obasanjo wanted to use me to nail him but I objected. There was a time that he (Obasanjo) brought a jeep loaded with money for me at a conference that we had at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, but I turned him down. I sent four of my colleagues who were state chairmen to attend to him and to reject the money outright. It was the same period that Philip Shaibu (majority leader of the Edo State House of Assembly) was the NANS president. We had the believe that we need to hold each other no matter how.
The post My scorecard in Delta Assembly, by Ativie appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.