One
of President Muhammadu Buhari's major challenger at the 2015
presidential election, Prof. Remi Sonaiya, has revealed how she would
have done so much better than Buhari and Nigerian economy continue to
languish in recession.
In an exclusive interview with Premium Times in Ile-Ife,
61-year-old politician and candidate of KOWA party in the 2015
presidential election, Remi Sonaiya, who is a retired professor of
French Language, Linguistics and Applied Logistics at the Obafemi
Awolowo University, speaks on her political vocation, the Buhari
administration and other issues.
Excerpts:
PT: Looking at your scorecard at the last presidential election, are you glad you did?
Remi Sonaiya KOWASonaiya: I am very happy I participated. I had no
illusions going in. I knew it would take time to bring about a shift in
the political culture of money and violence which had been so entrenched
in our system. I was glad that I had votes in every single state in the
country. I believe the chauvinists too would come round when they
realise we need a change.
PT: Talking about the present administration, do you feel you and KOWA party would have done better if you were elected?
Sonaiya: Of course, I would have done better by God’s help. For
example, I would have consulted widely in selecting members of my
cabinet, so that we would get the best people to manage our affairs in
different sectors. Party considerations would not have been primary; the
interest of the country would have been. And I would have gotten the
cabinet in place before my inauguration, so that we would really hit the
ground running. It’s strange to nominate people for ministerial
positions and not have them assessed by the Senate on their competence
in specific areas.
PT: KOWA party seems to be a silent opposition.
Sonaiya: KOWA is not a silent opposition party. The fact is that in
Nigeria if you do not have plenty of money it is difficult for your
voice to be heard. We are very active in the social media, where we have
quite some amount of following. We are gradually building up the party,
and we are very hopeful that soon we will become more visible as more
people join us and contribute to funding the party. KOWA does not
believe that parties should be funded by money from government coffers.
PT: The present president has a track record of three
attempts before the fourth and successful one. Come 2019, God sparing
our lives, do you intend to contest for president?
Sonaiya: Of course, it is the person who emerges as the party’s
candidate after we must have conducted our primaries who will represent
the party in the presidential elections. Who knows, maybe it would be
me.
PT: Politics is a male-dominated area, especially the race for president. And you contested. What drives you?
Sonaiya: What drives me is a passion to see my country be well
governed and her citizens live a dignified and prosperous life, as in so
many other countries that I have had the opportunity to visit. I
believe there is nothing fundamentally different from us and other human
beings in terms of the abilities we were created with. How come we
won’t use them to improve our lives? How come we allow a handful of
people to get away with so much theft and condemn the overwhelming
majority to a life of penury? I am driven by a passion for truth,
righteousness and justice. When there is righteousness in governance,
the people will rejoice. I also believe Nigeria owes itself the
responsibility of getting her act together and taking her rightful
position of leadership in Africa. I long to remove the shame which has
for long hung over us.
PT: What is your message to African women?
Sonaiya: African women should be bold. There is no need to be
afraid of politics. Let us begin to see participation in the political
life of our nations as a duty we owe our nations, ourselves and our
children, just like we participate actively in the running of our homes.
If half of the population is missing, we are being short-changed. Women
have their peculiar contributions to make which will complement those
being made by men. It has been shown that in societies where women are
present in governance, such societies become more stable, more
prosperous, leading to better standards of living.
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