Hon Stella Foluke Osafile the only Labour Party member representing Amuwo-Odofin Constituency 1 at the Lagos State House of Assembly has declared that the best thing for Nigeria’s fledgling democracy is to have more women take active part in it. In an interview session she spoke extensively about other sundry issues. Olanrewaju Adesanya brings Excerpts.
How has the journey been for you thus far, coupled with the fact that two of you got here but you are the only one left?
The only Obedient Labour party member amongst forty Honourable members in the Lagos State House of Assembly. Two of us were here but unfortunately we lost a seat at the tribunal and that made me the only person remaining.
If you asked me if it’s been rosy? I would say yes and no. Though we are done with politicking, done with election, we are now in the dispensation of governance. So that is the difference from the regular politicking and electioneering. It’s once you are here you are for Lagos state that is the number one thing. So every other thing will be Secondary.
As a women how have you been able to weather the storm going by the common saying that politics is a dirty game?
Honestly it is just a myth, it is a myth because it is like any other profession, you add value to yourself make sure you are a person of good character and acquire the needed capacity and you go for it. For women in politics I would say because I won’t consider myself a small girl age wise now. My children are done with their formative years so I don’t have children that cannot bathe himself or herself, that gives me a bit leverage, maritally I have been able to balance it .
So unlike younger ladies that wants to come in, it might be a bit challenging for them to be able to cope maritally, you know your children and all that. Age wise too it is an advantage for me all my children are grown up, so it is just me and Daddy at home and I have enough support system. So for women coming into politics they should ensure they have enough support system.
This can be your husband, your maids in the house, your siblings so that there are things that if you are not there they would stand in for you, but for women in politics there is no big deal. It is like any other profession. You know sometimes they used to say politicians stay out late in the night. Nurses too stay out late in the night don’t they do night duties? Doctors go for night duties, Pastors go for night vigil so it is for politicians. So if your meeting extends into the night so be it and thank God for technology these days the number of nights have reduced because you can have your meetings virtually so women should leverage on it. The more women in politics the best for Nigeria. You are the men folk here now there will be less violence. The processes and exercise of getting into office will be less expensive. That is my take and that is the experience I have had because there are some points you say oh! Leave am nah woman.
Are you trying to infer that women are better managers?
Women handle things more economically more than men, yes women would not marry four wives, that will make us to now support this family and that family. Just give women powder, jewelries and they are good to go.
Going into politics is not cheap and I want to say that maybe I leverage on my party , they gave women upper hand by allowing us to obtain our nomination form free of charge. Yes and they make sure that you go through the same process in a very transparent way in my own case though I already paid for it before I realized that women and the physically challenged are to have it free. This is just to allow women to come and you know our own mantra- we no dey give shishi. That also helped me because often times they asked me do you pay people, I say don’t pay anybody people willingly voted for me. So for women see until you launch out you might not know the challenges that are inherent. If I was told how much it would cost me even down to the tribunal, I would flee not only run, I would flee but because I have already dived into it, I have won my election even before the tribunal issue so it is not cheap. I know that there are so many women that can do it even financially, but some feared violence if you are not a violent person don’t envisage violence will come on you.
Have a positive mind, be optimistic live is war anyway so fight your own war in your own space and corner and see how it comes. You may get your fingers burnt so be it but if you don’t launch out you will not know the nitty gritty of the office and that is what I will tell women. Don’t sit at the comfort of your home and be expecting it , it can never happen. We must fight for it.
This is Lagos Assembly and we all know what is happening in the country, will you say the system of government we are practising in the country has paid off?
It is like asking a 25 years old person if he had arrived, if he had achieved the purpose of his coming to earth. That is how I see the democracy we are in now. We are only 25 years old in this dispensation, so we are not there but we shall get there. If and when we allow the system to take its place dispensation but this where we found ourselves, now a 25 years old is not a perfect man that is how it is now and the best time to work on it is now. To make sure that all loopholes are blocked. If we are intentional, when you go through the tribunals we have seen how people can take advantage of the loopholes if we don’t seal such loopholes then we are playing.
Politically speaking these are not the best of times so what counsel will you give the APC led government at the state and the federal level regarding how they are handling the economy?
It appears as if the future is bleak. That it is a hopeless situation but I want to be very optimistic here that there would be light at the end of the tunnel. The APC government they are trying to face the economy at the detriment of the generality of the populace that is how I put it. One step at a time we can’t correct all the ills of the past in one day and that is what is happening. The subsidy removal cascades down to everything and everything now we are trying to cushion the effect. I just felt that all this policies, plans we are implementing now, should all have been put in place maybe the subsidy could have been removed in 2025. That is my opinion. All the CNG and other policies to cushion the effect should have been put in place first. Then we now say oh! They human they mean business. We all agreed that subsidy must go but not in the manner it was done. It was a big shock and that is the shock we are in now.
The issue really is the model of removal right?
From day one May 29, that is it.
But Ma don’t you think that the democracy we practicing is faulty? If we are saying the subsidy ought not to have been removed but the National Assembly that should have debated it before we go into it. The government went into it and nothing has happened, so would you now say that your colleagues especially at the national level have not done their jobs or will you say it is an executive order.
There is something called executive recklessness you can pick it up from there when you make pronouncements even before anything. You know the tongue is an unruly member of the body full of deadly poison, you have said it from day one at the ceremony even before the National Assembly was inaugurated. So these are some of the errors we need to make corrections and you cannot tell your boss that you are wrong, unless you will tell him in your closets. So that is what is part of the system.
Some are saying this is a fall of the presidential system we are practising as there is no way the Prime Minister will come out with a policy without the parliaments concurrence. Would you say that we should go back to the 1963 constitution or we should perfect the 1999 own?
So be it, we have been consistent for 25 years in practising this presidential system. Before now we’ve never had that privilege from 1960 to 1963 it was the parliamentary just few years by 1967 it was finally wiped out by the military interregnum and the civil war so we never had that privilege of practicing it and see okay this is not good, this is good to compare it. For me the presidential system is too expensive.
Your party and the Apampa versus Julius Abure internal wrangling and people are looking up to your party that okay maybe in 2027 your party will still come up, but with what is happening in your party do you see a future in your party both at the state and the Federal level?
There is no issue, you know when you mention party, party who and what is a party? It is the individuals in there but I want to say that so far thank God nk Apanma faction no Abure faction anymore. The court have been able to settle it, they’ve even reconciled. There is no perfect society. So irrespective of the party they would quarrel they would settle. So it is in fact my consolation when thinking about the seemingly overwhelming state of the issue is that even Jesus Christ was on earth they fought and even killed him in the process and he was about doing good, just going about doing good yet people still find faults. They were saying between Jesus and this robber who do you want? They say give us the robber. So in all the political parties so far there are human beings there, there would always be quarrel. We will quarrel we will settle so no more faction ooo as far as I am concerned in Labour Party. You were privy to the tribunal issue so Arabambi is back to the fold so no more faction. You don’t solve your problems by running away from it. That is how I see it. So we must come together we must resolve it, we must iron it out. We would fight and reconcile that is how I see it.
You are representing the good people of Amuwo Odofin constituency 1 how are you connecting with your constituents?
Well this is by the grace of God I’m not saying I am perfect here because even as at yesterday I was among my people. I was with them every now and then, the relationship is there. It is cordial, so far so good and I pray it continues.
Finally from me the whole scenario as we are moving towards another general elections what would be your charge to the political class and our electoral system particularly?
My charge to the political class is that we should just allow the system to run by itself we should not manipulate anything. Our electoral system is near perfect if we had allowed it to run by itself. Let’s allow the system to work, let’s not shortchange it . Let’s not cut corners. The way it is in the law it appears seamless let’s go to the polling booths cast our votes let IREV work, it is so seamless. Let us allow the system to work. It is not just for us now but generations coming after us. What legacy are we gonna leave behind? Is it the legacy of violence? Where the violent take it by force? No let’s allow the system to run. We are human and Africa is waiting for Nigeria. The world is waiting for us to get things right. Once you get it right see in our little space and corner nobody will want to ‘Japa’ and I pray that as many that have ‘Japa’ they will ‘Japada’ in good health. Let’s allow the system to run and work and everybody would benefit. The land is green thank you.