Women cannot run effective campaigns because of lack of funds, says Chikwe

Former ambassador to Ireland and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial candidate (Imo East), Dr. Kema Chikwe, talked with Nkechi Onyedika in Abuja on the 2011 election. Excerpts:
WHAT are the factors militating against women participation in politics and how can the 35 per cent women representation in elective and appointive positions be achieved?

Lack of finance is the major problem women face in politics. The business of politics has become quite expensive; there is nobody you talk to in politics who will not expect you to offer something in cash or kind. Because of the rate of poverty, money has become a major factor. We need to reduce the level of spending. While campaigning, a female politician will spend money on logistics, posters, handbills, manifestos, jingles and advertisement and she has to traverse the length and breadth of her constituency. This is capital intensive and women are not usually in a position to compete favourably with their male counterparts as far as finance is concerned. But, personally, I have been in politics for a while and I don’t think that the electorate is accepting me because of the money I can bring; rather they have the confidence that I will perform and that I will not abandon them.

On the issue of 35 per cent representation, even though the President has promised to give women 35 per cent of appointive positions, affirmative action could be achieved when right people go into politics and when credible and knowledgeable people go to the National Assembly. In fact in Imo State, there are three other credible ladies contesting for seats in the National Assembly. Essentially, it means that husbands are allowing their wives to participate in politics and when you bring credible women, it will not cost them a lot of money and the more you present credible women, the issue of money will be de-emphasised.

You resigned your ambassadorial job to join politics…

It was just an appointment. What I am seeking for now is an elective legislative position, which means that I am going to represent the interests of my constituency. As an ambassador, I think I acquired a wider profile in politics and in government. I also have international contact and international experience, so it is an opportunity for me to do more for my people.

Do you think your record as a former Minister of Transport, Minister of Aviation and a former envoy to Ireland has anything to do with your nomination as a senatorial candidate?

The fact that my people voted for me during the primary to represent them as a senator indicates the confidence they have in me. The way you handle a position decides how you are accepted. I think it is a mark of my acceptability by my people.

How did it happen that while most female contestants were losing out to the men folk in the primaries, you actually defeated an incumbent senator, another female?

Once an elected politician reaches and touches the lives of people, they would always want him or her to come back. I was a Minister and my works will speak for me anywhere. Even as an ambassador, or as the Chairman of JAMB, I have left footprints in the sands of time. The Senate is where the ship of the nation is stirred, you must have experience and I have the experience nationally and internationally. I am a politician and also a political practitioner, I can navigate my way through the Senate and I have the temperament to do the work. You don’t want a woman, who when important decisions are being taken, could easily be aggravated and would walk away. That is not the kind of senator my zone would want, they want somebody with a stable temperament and a role model.

How do you react to the allegations that the primary was flawed to favour you?

The primary couldn’t be more transparent. The incumbent senator for the zone didn’t anticipate that it would not be easy for her to win the primaries. She has all the privileges; saw herself as a special aspirant and was over-confident. The venue of the primary was not the initial venue chosen for the primary, it was a last minute decision, but the new place was a more secured venue. She complained that I was the preferred choice of the party leadership, but if she had worked well with the party leadership, she could have had all the support. That is part of politics. While she was in PDP, she was negotiating, so she already knew she was going to fail. That was why she went directly to the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA). She knew that she was not going to win so she started negotiating early. If anything was wrong with the process, it was that she had no confidence in herself and she knew that I would defeat her. She was with us in Abuja for the presidential primary and the next day was the primaries for APGA and her name was on their ballot, so she accepted defeat.

Beside the experience you talked about, how will your constituency benefit from your presence in the Senate, if you are elected?

I have a focus; I have a programme and a manifesto. I have articulated my agenda and my primary concern is youth empowerment and employment. I am already doing a lot of work on it; I want to turn around the future of Nigerian youths, it is important to me.

We have nine councils in the zone and there are distinctions geo-politically and culturally but I want to introduce a programme that would bring my people together in order to enhance their unity. For instance, as soon as I get into the Senate, I will pursue a project of a University for the zone because the zone turns out many young people every year from secondary school and there is this desperation to go to university. I have an idea of how I am going to do it, I am going to get the nine councils to subscribe to it, I will get international involvement and I will make it something that would stand the test of time. Education is a major industry in my state; I want to exploit that interest by making sure that I establish something like that.

Also with my national and international contacts, I will attract industries in order to get the young people employed. It is very important to me. I am going to generate confidence and enhance the self-esteem of the people of my zone by reducing poverty. However, the issue of youth empowerment and youth employment affects every home, if every young graduate who passes out from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is employed, as it used to be in the past, every home would be touched. I have a strong team working on this programme. I am very excited and I know I will win the election. Actually, it is easy especially, when the opposition starts talking off point, saying frivolous things instead of talking about issues. When they engage in frivolities, it becomes obvious that they have lost the battle. I have a programme in all aspects of development. I have the experience as a former Minister of two different ministries. The position means that one has interacted with every other aspect of government and I am happy I am touching the hearts of the people of my constituency, reaching out to the grassroots. I am a grassroots person and it is easy for me to have direct contact with the people, I don’t have intermediaries, my opponents have intermediaries, they don’t have the phone numbers of the grassroots, I have the phone numbers.

What particular piece of legislation would you pursue if you eventually win the election?

The issue of youth employment and empowerment must be taken more seriously. There is no need turning out young people from tertiary institutions if there is no hope of employment for them. There are going to be other bills, but youth employment and empowerment has a higher priority. I am already researching to find out the best way to achieve it and it is getting clearer to me by the day.


Women cannot run effective campaigns because of lack of funds, says Chikwe