Hon Tolu Shodipe is a member of the House of Representatives. She is also the Chairman, House Committee on the Diaspora. She shares her experience as a female parliamentarian and makes case for more women in positions of authority; just as women in parliament and leaders of women’s movement set gender agenda for engagement with the new administration; ENE OSHABA writes
“I was given Chairman, the Diaspora Committee which is not active and without funding but I turned the committee to be very active and one which is now respected,” these were the words of Hon Tolu Shodipe, as she shared her experience as a female parliamentarian in the male-dominated 9th National Assembly (NASS).
The lawmakers, who was re-elected for another term in the House of Representatives, stated this while speaking at the Convergence and Strategy Meeting of Women In Parliament and the Leaders of Women’s Movement facilitated by the Gender Technical Unit (GTU) and Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), recently in Abuja.
The strategy meeting was convened to set the gender agenda rolling for immediate engagement with the new administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to Shodipe, women parliamentarians face a high level of marginalization and discrimination intentionally created through fixing them in less active committees where it is usually difficult to make any impact just to humiliate them.
She, however, maintained that with passion and dedication to work female lawmakers turn around to make a great impact with their positions irrespective of the little or no budget to work effectively.
“I successfully fought a nation, the country Lebanon. Lebanon was going to keep my girls arrested, I mean trafficked Nigerian girls and charged them for attempted murder but I put my foot down and fought very powerful people in Nigeria as well, to ensure the girls returned back home safely . I was called a troublemaker and all sorts of names but I know that a man who achieved that would have been commended.
“I also made sure my people were taking out of Sudan, I raised a motion to move our people out of Ukrain and Sudan.
“I had also personally used my personal money to buy our children out of slavery in Mali. Our children, mostly females, are suffering across the world. We have children living in tents in other countries and I was bent on bringing them back even when people say they went for prostitution and I shouldn’t bother but some of these girls were lied to that they were going there to become teachers to teach English and met a different situation when they got there they’re keeping them as prostitutes.
“And I said no, even if they are prostitutes, and they went there to make money that doesn’t give anybody the right to keep them in such dehumanising conditions against their will.
“If we do not have women in positions of authority in this nation, our girl child will continue to suffer,” she lamented.
Speaking further the lawmaker said, “When committees are assigned other committees chairmen are getting committees like legislative agenda, committee on finance and so on I was assigned to work on sexual harassment in Nigerian universities. I did everything I had to do but I still have not seen any results,” she lamented.
“Before I was elected to the National Assembly, I had just returned from America and I approached a few people that I knew were wives of judges. And I realise that they needed to get involved with this issue of sexual harassment on the Nigerian universities.
“I didn’t go to university in Nigeria, but I know that because girls have really suffered for this and I took the interest to work on it in order to save more girls from suffering because there are so many young girls out there, who if they’re thrown out of that university their parents and homes will be shattered,” she added.
Case for grade A committees
As of February 2023, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) ranked Nigeria 183 out of 193 countries in Women’s Representation in National Parliaments. Remarkably, there has a reduction in the10th National Assembly from eight women in the Senate to three, while in the House of Representatives only 14 women were elected compared to the 13 in the 9th NASS.
Women represent about 44 per cent of Nigeria’s voting population, yet less than 5 per cent of the 1,553 women who contested the 2023 general elections across Nigeria were elected.
Despite the consistent push for increased representation of women in politics–elective and appointive positions, the just concluded 2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections showed alarming underrepresentation of women.
For instance, of the 1,459 legislative seats at the state and national levels, so far, women have won only 75 seats. Alarmingly, there are 15 states without a single woman in their State House of Assembly.
It is no wonder that in Nigeria’s 24 years of democracy no woman has been Senate President or Deputy Senate President.
Patricia Etteh is the only woman who has been the Speaker of the House of Representatives from June to October 2007. Similarly, Hon. Mulikat Akande was the first woman elected as Majority Leader at the National Assembly in level in 2011.
Against this background leaders of women movement believe that more women needed to be elected as presiding officers and principal officers’ positions in the National Assembly, particularly the House of Representatives, irrespective of the current numbers.
The group maintains that women represent about 50 per cent of Nigeria’s population and this should be reflected in the parliament’s leadership as provided for in the National Gender Policy 2022. This is a matter of equity and social inclusion.
For Shodipe, there is need for more women to be given strategic leadership positions because they have a record of working effectively and delivering on assignments. Sadly, many hurdles continue to hinder their progress.
The lawmaker, who recalled that she left the Guarantee Trust Bank (GTB) as an Assistant General Manager 20 years ago and was also a pioneer staff of Access Bank, added that she was also the first female manager at Dangote Group in 1993, yet she is not considered competent to be Committee Chairman on Finance, Appropriation among others.
“I’m an accountant. I graduated 1986/87 from the University and I got a Master’s Degree in 1991 from the University of Ibadan, and at the moment doing a PhD in gender studies.
“When you know the job they criticise you that you are over ambitious. As an accountant, for so many years, I’ve worked across the world and am I not qualified for committee on finance, or appropriation or public accounts? But I was given the Diaspora Committee, no regrets, because I took it to the next level,” she explained.
Speaking further, Shodipe noted that when the Diaspora became recognised and respected because she fought for the rights of many Nigerians and it was time to send representatives from National Assembly to follow issues through she wasn’t in the picture anymore.
“I am back and some of my colleagues have called me and said to me maybe you shouldn’t be so vocal but I have not been created by God to be a second class citizen. I cannot be a second class citizen and I will always be a first class citizen, I am a woman and I will continue to fight for what is right,” she declared.
Re-election hurdles
The lawmaker, who lived a long time in America, expressed disappointment that the feats of women as lawmakers were deliberately being downplayed, recalling that she almost couldn’t return to the house because she refused to sabotage the people’s needs.
“I know how hard it was for me to raise money for my return to the House of Representatives. As a first timer, I didn’t have funding because I had built 14 schools, brand new not renovated. I have empowered over 12,000 people, mostly woman, including empowerment with motor vehicles for mass transit.
“I had provided lighting in 188 locations, 24 locations had transformers for powering the community, just as 23 locations were given water. So the people had access to water, yet the party almost didn’t even buy the ticket for me to come back.
“I was running from pillar to post, not for me, but because I knew the person coming after me was a strong contender and had my chairman’s support, because I took 16 transformers meant for the communities to where they were supposed to go. I made sure they were installed and I became an enemy.
“Did I get any support from women? No. I didn’t have to compete because I needed funding. I had to go outside politics because I came from private sector.
“I know a lot of females who I had hope to get more support from but the woman who could finance me were telling me they cannot put money into politics but my male colleagues didn’t say that rather they were telling me that they know what I stand for and supported me.
“We really need a reorientation and that will be intentional and must cut across women and our young ones coming behind us. We need to catch them young and when I say catch them young I’m talking about our male children too. We need to start training these boys and let them realise how to respect a woman,” she urged.
Reality of rejected Gender Bills
Continuing, Shodipe expressed worries that the Gender Bills were rejected and called on women and other stakeholders not to relent in pushing for its passage.
“If my daughter was to marry a white man, he cannot be a Nigerian citizen but the white wives of our Nigerian men are automatic citizens. We must continue to push for our rights,” she stressed.
On its part, Leaders of Women Movement in a press statement on the rejected Gender Bills noted: “Nigerian women recognise the significant role that legislatures play in shaping public policies that impact the lives of all citizens.
“We firmly believe that diverse legislatures particularly in the leadership are essential for a thriving democracy that truly reflects the interests and experiences of its people by fostering inclusivity and equal representation. Being in the position of influence is therefore important to bring women voices to fore in the country.”
It is worthy to note that Legislatures serve as the foundation of democratic governance, where laws are enacted and societal issues are addressed. When legislatures lack diversity, the voices and perspectives of underrepresented communities are often overlooked, leading to policies that fail to address the unique challenges faced by these communities.
The National Assembly is constitutionally vested with several functions, such as lawmaking, confirmation of nominations, representation, oversight, scrutinizing bills, legislative proposals, and motions, among others. Most of these functions are achieved through committees.
“We therefore implore the National Assembly to ensure that women are considered to chair grade A committees amongst others.
“Affirmative action in legislatures is crucial for breaking down barriers and ensuring that all citizens have an equal chance to participate in shaping their society’s future,” the statement further stressed.
“In light of the foregoing, we demand the inclusion of women among the Presiding officers, and main Principal Officers of the Nigerian Parliament either Speaker or as deputy Speaker HOR.
“There are qualified and ranking women among the elected National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly. The current President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has made commitment to prioritise women’s participation in Nigeria, he must be seen to show support for women in parliament to hold positions as principal officers.
The group added: “More than ever, we demand that: A woman be elected as the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives; At least 2 women be elected as main Principal officer in the House of Representatives; That women from both houses are elected to chair Grade A committees; More resources be allocated to pursue an equal society.
“It is vital for legislatures to reflect the rich tapestry of their constituents. By consciously repositioning the few elected women, legislatures can benefit from a wide range of perspectives and experiences, leading to better decision-making, fairer policies, and a stronger democracy.”
