Honourable Khadija Bukar Abba Ibrahim, a member of the House of
Representatives is the wife of the first civilian Governor of Yobe
State, Senator Buka Abba Ibrahim. Her father, the late Alhaji Ibrahim
Waziri was the proponent of ‘politics without bitterness’, as well as a
former presidential aspirant in the second republic and founder of the
Great Nigeria People’s Party (GNPP).Khadija, who is aspiring to the office of Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, in this interview reveals why she wants to be the number two legislator in the lower chamber and her programme for Nigeria.
Excerpts:
What was your greatest motivation in politics?
My motivation and journey into politics is an offshoot and still remains a continuation of my father’s vision and life philosophy which, essentially, is rooted in the service of God Almighty and humanity. It all began in 1998 while I was on normal visits to various communities in Yobe, my state, to attend to the sick, the poor and needy with medicare, food items and clothing. Then, people would come to me to represent their interests at various levels – community, local government, state, etc. At that time, I did represent them in personal, non-governmental capacities. Then came 2004, when out of the people’s pressure, the government of Yobe State under the stewardship of the then Governor, now Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim appointed me as Commissioner for Transport and Energy. Thereafter, the pressure for me to represent my people at the federal level became so huge that I had to vie for this seat and, here we are now. So my motivation and journey into politics began as, and remains, a journey of service to the people.
You are being prompted by gender organizations like Women in Politics Forum (WIPF) and several others to vie for the post of Deputy Speaker of Nigeria’s Lower House, why do you think the call is coming at this time?
Well, WIPF knows better why they are advocating for the presence and voice of a woman in the leadership of the House of Representatives. But I believe that they are not merely advocating just for the sake of gender. I guess also that WIPF and other organizations are apprehensive or worried that either the 8th National Assembly or the incoming ruling party, APC, may not be gender sensitive enough in this regard. I have this feeling that they know that I am what you might call a ranking member of the House of Representatives; that I have acquired relevant experience and exposure to discharge the functions of that office; that it will be unfair to the Nigerian women if persons of the other gender should be preferred just because they are what they are, ‘men.’post by expdonaloaded.blogspot.com..Your name has been mentioned in connection with several legislative achievements in the House, do you think this is the reason you are being touted for the office of Deputy Speaker of the House?With all modesty, my name is not and cannot be new in terms of legislative practice and attainments in the House. Besides some bills and several motions I have advanced for the betterment of the Nigerian society, I have served as Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Rural Development (2007-2008), Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Communications (2008 – 2010) and presently, Chairman, House Committee on Privatization and Commercialization and thus far without blemish. Many hold that there is no way one could have discharged the duties of these offices without acquiring experience and building confidence.
What is going to be your major objective as first Nigerian Female Deputy Speaker?
If, by the grace of God, my party and my colleagues, one becomes the Deputy Speaker, one’s major objective will be to assist the President navigate our nation out of the current economic quagmire. Of course, it should not be taken for granted that I will be of immense assistance to the First Lady in realizing her vision for the Nigeria girl-child education and emancipation of women at all levels, all these we will achieve through legislative process and advocacy.
Your support for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Yobe State who are victims of insurgency-riddled North Eastern Nigeria is also seen as a major reason for your ascension to that position. How will your role as Number 2 in the lower House end the problem of Boko Haram in North East?
This is a subject matter to which I and my family have been committing our resources to, because we cannot even have peace of the mind when our people are displaced and scattered from their homes due to insecurity. As Deputy Speaker, I shall intensify effort in seeing that NEMA (National Emergency Management Authority) carries out its duties promptly, honestly and efficiently; that the House of Representatives carry out effective oversight functions on the federal government especially on the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and determine whether the resources allocated for their comfort get to the IDPs. We shall also ensure that our security agencies are better motivated to guaranteeing adequate protection of our people. But essentially, the problem of Boko Haram, I believe, will come to an end the day we have an effective leadership as I believe we will have under General Buhari. Secondly, if we as leaders – state and federal- implement policies that will send many to school, create jobs and employment, then Boko Haram will naturally come to its end.
Do you think the North-East where you hail from is ready to tackle the crisis of girl child education which is a horrible blight in that part of Nigeria?
Yes, I do, because until the advent of Boko Haram, awareness for the education of the girl-child in the North-East had grown tremendously. But with a misguided ideology hiding behind religion, education of the girl-child in the North-East was adversely affected. But as I said, with effective leadership, insecurity will be drastically reduced, families will return to their homes and every child including the girl-child will go back to school. Additionally, we shall ensure that donor funds for the training and security of the girl-child in the North East-will be judiciously utilized.
What is your assessment of the performance of the legislature particularly the House of Representatives in the last sixteen years?
For me as a Legislator, I would say that the Legislature has done quite well given the circumstance. But first, we must remember that it is the only arm that is not yet firmly rooted, that is still growing in the Nigerian polity. Unlike the other two arms – Executive and Judiciary, it is the only arm that gets suspended during the military interventions. Notwithstanding, the National Assembly has performed creditably well. It had played significant roles in passing into law bills that have assisted in reforming our economy, from a controlled system to a free market system. It has helped more in exposing corruption and deficiencies in governance and bringing about public awareness in activities of government. Admittedly, the National Assembly is yet to perform to the best expectation of Nigerians as there are still a lot of rooms for improvement. But with time and benefit of legislative practice and better understanding of Nigerians on the role of the legislature, the National Assembly will meet national expectation.
Do you subscribe to granting financial autonomy to the legislature?
That is necessary. Sometimes, it is not necessarily the absence of funds that hampers legislative assignments; it is largely due to bureaucratic bottlenecks arising from release of funds from one arm to the other. Again, financial autonomy will insulate the legislature from acting on whims and caprices of any other arm and guarantee its optimum performance. And contrary to fears, autonomy will engender greater responsibility in funds management because, with the coming of strong institutions as envisaged, nobody will be bigger than the EFCC or ICPC. Every public officer will know that these are consequences that will come with every untoward behaviour. For this reason, I will subscribe to granting of financial autonomy to the legislature.
In what area do you think the legislature must improve on to make the 8th Assembly more efficient?
We must take our oversight functions more seriously. If this is done there will be little or no room for non-performance by the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). If we take our oversight functions seriously, corruption will be prevented from taking place or detected timely. And when the relevant MDA know that corruption will definitely be exposed, it will work hard to make sure that the people get value for their money. That is one area that if I find myself in leadership position, I will always ensure that the House gives full vent to.
What is your take on the call for government to cut down on the salaries and allowances of lawmakers?
The legislature is part of the government and we realize that we now live on lean resources. If you have been following the world oil trend, you will realize how dire our nation’s situation has become; you will also realize that we must take serious measures to respond to the situation. Therefore, we will not be immune to sacrifices that will be required of us in the present circumstance.
Do you think the legislature has done enough in terms of law-making to guide against child marriage which is very rampant in the northern part of Nigeria?
We have passed series of legislations that aim at giving full protection to the interest and wellbeing of the girl-child, one of which is the Child Rights Act. But incidentally, I have to agree with you that certain states of the federation are yet to ratify that Act. So you can see that the National Assembly has done its bit in that regard. The persuasion should be directed to states. The incoming First lady has made strong indications for the protection of the girl-child. I can assure you that every effort of hers in that regard will be given optimum legislative support by the 8th National Assembly.
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