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YOU are the vice presidential candidate of the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN), how did you feel about this development?

I am trying to take it in, but it is getting better every day, because it was not something that was expected. I am humbled and grateful for it. It is not a right, but a privilege. I also feel that it is a calling, so, I feel it is not something I should take for granted. I am praying to God that I will be worthy of the confidence and belief people have in me. The whole thing surfaced after attending a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja and my husband urged me to accept the offer. However, the major thing that made me to identify with the party was the fact that every candidate that presented themselves had been impacting their communities positively and I can resonate with that; it means I am home. I have had a lot of calls from other political parties, but I felt safe here. A woman even told me sometime that if I do not answer to the call to serve Nigeria, God will punish me. Weeks later, ANN contacted me, but I felt I prefer doing my thing in the background. My husband said maybe it is from God when I discussed it with him. He said I have his support. So, I have no other choice than to join the league of intellectuals and technocrats.

Don’t you feel jittery that the chances of the party to win any position is slim due to the fact that ANN is a new party and seems to have no structure?

The party means business and it is passionate about serving the people; it is the only platform that has the interest of the people and is ready for a new Nigeria. You can feel the passion from everyone that believes in the cause. The presidential candidate, Fela Durotoye and the Ogun and Lagos states governorship candidates are doing a great job. They valued the family unit; they met with my husband before they called me and offered me the post. So, I respect the love, unity and harmony in ANN.

Do you know that you will lose your privacy because of your decision to venture into active politics?

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I have already lost my privacy because of the kind of job I do. I am a publisher and a researcher. If you check my profile, I am not visible on the social media. My picture is hardly in the public but I had to reveal my picture on the handles when my column metamorphosed into a magazine. What informed my last decision to answer the call was that I felt it will be hypocritical of me to say no to a greater platform God is offering me to explore my humanitarian gesture. I have been running after this government to do something about the 2.1million children in the North-East. I have had series of meetings with some experts to embark on a psycho-social support for these children. I requested for three things: a place to camp the children and gradually graduate them from ID camps to our camps and later integrate them into the community for them to be self-sufficient. I also asked for security and urged them to support us with small funds, but nobody has budged, despite the fact that we have been running after them. So, how would I say no when God brought this to me.

Now that you are actively involved in politics, are you prepared for the challenges that come with your new task?

I have seven children and my last child is age 10. I have mothered more than 15 children. I got married at the age of 19 and I have always done one thing or the other. I had my first child when I was 20 and I used to drive from Wuse to Gwagwalada to complete my LLB. I had my last baby when I was doing my Masters in Jos and I used to travel to Jos three times in a week for lectures. Imagine what I must have been through as a mother and a wife. God has already prepared me for every role I will encounter. Aside all these experiences, I have a career and I am also committed to continuous learning, personal growth and development. I hold a LLB Law from the University of Abuja and Masters in Law and Diploma from the University of Jos. I have founded variety of social enterprises and businesses. I am the Editor-in-Chief of S. I. Magazine Ltd and an Executive Director of Beyond Mentors Inc. I also consult and facilitate programmes and trainings for SME’s in collaboration with governmental and nongovernmental organisations.

How did your children receive the news of your political ambition?

Mind you, I don’t have a political ambition; I have a call to serve. Politicians tell us that politics is dirty because they want to take you and me out of it. They make it dirty so as to discourage people that have meaningful intentions to come in and impact in their communities, but we are not losing sleep in ANN. We are roaring lions and we are coming after them because we care for our community. As for my children, they are still trying to come to terms with the fact that I have been called to serve my fatherland. For example: my 16-year-old child is worried about my frequent meetings these days. He said he is scared of these politicians that he doesn’t want them to harm me. I felt bad that such a child already had that orientation about our political system. We need to change the narrative. Also, my second son had once challenged me that people like me and my friends that have positive minds for the country need to take up the responsibility to sanitise our political system and stop complaining about bad governance.  I felt challenged about this and this is why I am joining the league of those that are ready to sanitise our political system.

There had been castigations of the Buhari-led government over the low rate of women in power compared to previous administrations. What is your take on this?

One of our policies in ANN is not to badmouth anybody, because part of our goal is to eradicate bitterness in our society. Women in politics are not politicians, but technocrats. The reason we still have fewer women in politics and governance today is because of character assassination and the fear of telling the truth. Another thing is that men believe that politics is their terrain and any woman that comes into it must work very hard, which I don’t see in ANN. I love the way they respect the embodiment and sanctity of women which is missing in all other political parties. You need to understand the impact of women in an organisation or political system, and a nation or society in general. We need to realise that there are so many advantages women possess; we are very creative and innovative. A woman has cognitive empathy to understand what is happening in her environment.  It is only when a woman takes a sensitive role that a nation can survive. God has made us this way; a woman cannot be man and vice versa. The gift the woman has, the man doesn’t have it. We need to work together to make our society right. Another reason women seem to be excluded from our political system is as a result of the stereotype that any woman involved in politics is a loose woman; this happens mostly in the north. In fact, some people describe them as prostitutes. Someone told me that if we eventually win, I will change the orientation and I will open doors for more women to come into politics, because they already know my identity and perception. I want to use my case to tell all women that it is not only the loose women that venture into politics. I think we would have more women in active politics if our political system respects women’s privacy. We have so many intelligent women out there that can add value to the growth and transformation of this country, but they are scared. It seems some politicians are deliberately driving women away from politics, but it is time we make our political system vibrant enough for women to come in.

 If you eventually become the vice president of the country, what are you going to do differently?

What defines me as a person is motherhood and that is the most important thing to me. I see the call as an opportunity to give an expression to the intricate meaning of motherhood. I believe that a mother is that person who cares and makes sacrifices. Presently, accepting this is a huge sacrifice. I am worried about the future of the younger generation; I am worried about the future of Nigeria. I know that bringing a variety of women together and energising them that marriage does not stop them from achieving their goals in life, as well as impacting on their community and nation at large. I don’t want to die with every talent God has given me. God has given us intelligence and He is going to ask us on the Day of Judgment on what we did with it. So, the seat of the vice-president will not be a jamboree. Hence, it is going to be an impactful government complementing an innovative personality, Fela Durotoye in the seat of power. I am not seeing this development as a reward to my humanitarian service, but as a test of my sincerity and authenticity.


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