Being Only Female LG Chair Taught Me Prudence – George

BACKGROUND

I attended Handmaid International Nursery and Primary School, Garki, Area 3; then attended LEA Primary School, Area 1, Government Secondary School, Kuje, and studied Diploma Programme in University of Jos (UNIJOS), then transferring from Law Degree programme in UNIJOS, to pursue a degree in Sociology, at the University of Abuja (UNIAbuja). I choose Sociology because I wanted to understand why people behaved the way they did, and to influence behaviour as well. At that point I realised that Law was not for me, rather study the Humanities and influence lives of people. Now I have a Masters Degree in Society and Development. I am pursuing that path of Humanities. I am currently studying a Ph.D. Policy and Strategic Studies. That is natural, having learnt about the society, and what can be done or changed, I want to focus on creating policies that will solve its problems.

ACTING \ POLITICAL CAREER?

I remember the days when I would sit down and think to myself, “You seem to be doing everything. You seem to be everywhere. Don’t be a jack of all trades and master of none. While in Primary School, and Secondary School, I was in the Drama Club. I was always in one artistic thing or the other. I wanted to be on the screen because I realized that people who are on TV are able to influence how people behaved. I was hoping to pick up characters that would address the social issues, that people could learn from. That is because I see film and creative works as a way of mirroring society – not just the way it is, but the way it ought to be. That was how I joined the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) and grew in the ranks to the position of the secretary, to run for the chairmanship of the chapter, but didn’t win. In fact, it was the loss that propelled me to go into active politics. I said to myself, “If I can exert so much energy into the guild, and the reforms I was hoping to bring to the system, why not bring the same energy to mainstream politics?” We can’t just sit and complain. If we do so, who then will make the change for us? Politics will remain dirty, if we the intellectual ones stay away from it.

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I have always known I had something to offer humanity, I just kept touching different places with the hope of finding the actual spot I fit in the most. Gradually, I found myself in this position now, as the chairman.

A colleague, Zack Amata, encouraged me to start my own organisation or initiative to address change, it was then I started “The Nita Initiative for Women and Child Development” In 2010. We advocated for the inclusion of women and young wo men into politics and peace processes. We also looked at Maternal, New Born and Child Health, which lead to the production of the film A New Dawn (2014), where I played the lead role where I contested and won in the film. Interestingly, today, I am a local government chairman.

The role that I have played in the past months have molded and sharpened my life in such a way that I don’t think if I didn’t start from that level, I would have ever gotten the knowledge I needed for this engagement. I have been faced with real Nigerians and their problems. I am living amongst them, carrying their burned and shoulder their responsibilities.  And you need a lot of heart to do this job. And yet, there is still a room for learning, but even as you are learning, you are expected to deliver, to give your best.

Your Experience As Only Female Of Chairmen In 23 LGAs?

We have come a long way, with the APC government doing much to turn around the governance in Kaduna State, including the appointment of women in government. We are hoping all these efforts will open up more space for these women’s emergence as elected administration.

My experience is far different from what other women experienced, and that I believe is due to the way I have chosen to perceive things. It has taught me that life and human relations is about how we choose to perceive peoples’ action and inactions. There are definitely grave challenges in every leadership role. How you choose to see it is up to you? It is belittling for a woman to say or think, “I am a woman, that I why I am marginalized.

All my high-level exposure I Nollywood, development partners I have done one or more advocacy with have given me the ability to adapt and camouflage.

CHALLENGES \ HOW YOU MANAGED THEM?

Being a woman and being as exposed as I am at different levels of life and in the field of politics is one, and learning to relate with men, especially men from the Northern Nigeria, I had to learn to balance, and try not to portray by exposure I have, so I don’t give out the wrong signals or communication. I think to a large extent, I was able to achieve that, because my male colleagues are able to relate to me without any barrier. Of all 23 local government chairmen, I am the only female in the room. I am able to discuss, contribute, agree and disagree like every other member in the room.

Boundaries- How do you go about that?

The northern man has a very high level of respect for women. The most that a women would need do is to comport herself the way she wants to be addressed or regarded. It is about your posture, carriage and presentation. If you present yourself and one able to produce result, experience has told me that is how you will be treated. I have not however, had the experience of anyone crossing boundaries. Not amongst my colleagues or workspace. I have enjoyed mutual respect with the people I work with.

ACHIEVEMENTS?

When we got into office at first, we realized that there was a huge gap between the government and the people. Many times that is the reason the local government isn’t able to reach out to the people on time. for the government to succeed, it needs the support of the people. We brought in all the critical stakeholders we need to form alliance with, in addition with the traditional council, to ensure that we had good relationship with them. We also created a good relationship with the people. The community in this regard, is mow much better for it.

We realised that the community was in need of good drinking water. We had to identify one out of a a range of issues to address otherwise, we will not be able to achieve anything within a six months period in office. Now we are almost two years in office, and this is how we have doing projects. also, the government resource cannot achieve all the project and still pay operating cost.

With the help of development partners, we were able to get a good bargain on solar paneled boreholes built in all ten of the Jabba local government are – in the project called Sharua Lafia – 10 motorised boreholes, 10 hand pumping water in all ten local governments. We have been able to achieve 80/85% of this project.

The Kaduna State government has been very keen in development of the human capital. We have been able to empower not less than 200 women across the ten wards of Jabba local government.  we were also able to support petty female traders to startup businesses with a seed fund of N20,000 each. Same resource was provided to those who are into the businesses, and upgrade their skills. We also connected these women to female entrepreneurs in such businesses to be their mentors and to understudy them.

We also identified young people for training in several fields in order to adapt to our present society and its demands. We came up with a programme to reorientate the minds of young people in the coummnuity to understand that there is dignity on labour, and that they needn’t all work in white collar jobs. We selected 70 young people across the then ward of the Jabba, seven from each of the ten wards.

We realized that the local government on its 32nd anniversary did not have a staff quarters. It is necessary for us to have address that, especially since the past administration had renovated the local government secretariat. We are almost done with the 5 Blocks of 13 Units housing for our local government staff, that way the monies used in renting space is channeled to other needs of the ward.

We worked on a project aimed at reducing the huge religious and ethnicity gaps amongst our society in Jabah, to prevent the deterioration of our communities. We took advantage of the 32nd anniversary of the local government to commit the local government to God’s hands – both Christians and Muslims, we had a community stakeholders meeting – drawn up from al the ten wards of the Jabbah local government, in addition to the four wards of the Han tribe in Kachia Local government, since we were of one cultural heritage. To come up with ideas on things to work on to come up with solutions to the divisions that we suffer in our communities.  Even if our administration did not achieve anything else, but this, it is worth it. I call Jabbah 32, a great achievement.

We also had the All-Hands Games, a Sports Games where the ten wards competed against each other in nine modern and traditional games (drafts, ludo, football, basketball, card games/checkers). The game help in uniting people together. We hope this game will be an annual event.

Balancing family and career?

God has been faithful in this part of my life. People see me, and see the limelight in the place it puts me as a personality. But I have a me that is different from this limelight. I have always been a deep person. but I have had to create more depth to accommodate a lot. I have been able to expand myself to be able to accommodate the good, bad and the ugly. I have been able to learn in practical terms tolerance, forgiveness and love. Without these three things you cannot work as a community leader, because people are always plotting to deliberately frustrate you.

My family and friends have been a different cup of cake to manage. The person I thought was going to be the biggest headache for me was my husband. I realized however, that my husband seemed to have studied the woman he is married to, understood that I am a very ambitious person, though I am very patient to grow step-by-step. my ambition is to be in the global space.

This position is just a start point for me, as this process will equip mw to get to my goal. Communication is key too amongst couples. My husband and I, did a lot of vision sharing too, which helped me and him understand what I want to do.

My husband is also not the type that is jealous of his wife’s advancements, he is the one that encouraged me to enter the political space.

Because of his support, as a very involved father as well, I am aware that I also have a role to play as a mother, and so I have never taken him for granted. And in areas I am not available, my husband always covers for me, without rubbing it in my face. So, when I am back from my trips, he leaves me with the kids to catch up with, and make up for lost time.

Passion?

My passion is to give life my best, in whatever area I find myself. But before that, I am very passionate about God.

Advice to young women?

I think a lot of young women have things in hand already. I think the women we need to pay attention to, are those that are in the rural areas.

Wherever you find yourself as a young woman, create a niche for yourself. Whatever you find yourself doing, be passionate about it. give your all to it and hope for the very best. Do it in a manner that you are not expecting any reward for it, but hoping that whatever you do will be able to bring something like a reward for you in the nearest future.

Mothers, our children look up to us. Children learn greatly from observation. They observe and reenact. Don’t ever get to a point where you think “I am too feminist to take care of your family, or rather Womanism (as we call it in Africa). Womanism is not about turning women into men. We are who we are we and trying to do our best in all the responsibility God has given us.

Mentor?

I have mentors in different aspects of life. In contemporary times, one other woman I admire is Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala. I have always admired how she is able to grow and ascend beyond governments, because every government has identified her as someone they need to identify with. That is where I hope to get to. all she is doing is giving her best for the development of Nigeria.

DREADS?

The day that we wake up one morning to the announcement that the Federal Republic of Nigeria is no more, or no peace in the land.

Regrets?

I wish I had started my current career earlier. I know a boy who is starting off life at age of 11 years.  I urge the youths of Nigeria to quit slacking. A lot of Nigerian youth need to wake up and stop waiting for the world to work things out for them from their comfort zone.