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KAFILAT OGBARA, MHR Kosofe Constituency
Kafilat Adetola Ogbara is a Nigerian politician currently serving in the 10th House of Representatives. She is a member of the House of Representatives of Nigeria for Kosofe.
She won her seat with 45,111 votes, defeating Florence Adepegba of the People’s Democratic Party, who received 28,964 votes, and Abdulwaheed Odunuga of the New Nigeria People’s Party, with 4152 votes, three years ago. Since taking office, she has made notable progress, especially for women in her constituency, and has pledged to do more if given additional time.
She attended the City People Magazine Political Award recently where she discussed her experiences as a female lawmaker and her achievements so far. Below are excerpts from the interview.
How has it been for you, as one of the few women in the House of Representatives?
We thank God. We are doing our best to cope, though it hasn’t been easy. The House leadership doesn’t include any women in its top positions. Despite being a small group, we strive to make our presence felt and aim to surpass expectations. Many of us are chairing various committees, which gives us a sense of belonging through the House leadership.
In the last three years, what has been your impact on the people of Kosofe, which happens to be your constituency?
Well, I have tried to do a lot of things. I have facilitated many initiatives in my constituency. I have passed various laws and sponsored different bills for the benefit of mankind, especially for people living with disabilities, for older people, and for women in general. You know the popular bill for the special seat for women and a host of others: female genital mutilation, various bills, and of course, I have also made numerous motions regarding concerns from my constituency. When we had issues with the Oworosoki saga, Owode Onirin, and so on, I tried to escalate all these crises to the national level.
I know you have mentioned a few, but how have you been able to empower women?
I have conducted several empowerment initiatives for our women. We have provided grants to them and offered financial literacy training. We have trained women in technology and ICT to ensure they keep up with the pace of developments in the global world. We have also ensured that our women who are engaged in trading have been empowered in various ways. Those who are artisans, hairdressers, fashion designers, and so on have also received support. We recently held a large empowerment event from which many women benefited. It is an ongoing process, and we are continuing to collaborate with different partners to empower women more broadly.
What more should we expect from you?
Yes, we are going to build on our gains. There are a lot of things already in the pipeline, and we hope that, after the primaries, we will be able to implement more of these initiatives. There is a lot in store for the benefit of my constituent.
What is your advice to women who want to go into politics but are afraid of discrimination?
Well, my advice for them is to be confident and God-fearing. They must be spiritually sound and remain focused. They should not feel intimidated; they should not have any fear at all. They should believe in themselves and that it is possible. Once you believe it is possible and have the courage and zeal to proceed, nothing will stop you. So they just have to focus on what they want without being distracted. There are many distractions. Violence is a distraction. Intimidation is a distraction. Even not having enough finances to move is a distraction. So you have to overcome all these barriers, break all the obstacles, and pursue what you genuinely want.
How long have you been playing politics?
I’ve been around for quite a while. More than 25 years.
What made you think politics was the way?
When I entered the field over 25 years ago, it was not something every woman wanted to pursue. But I decided to keep that thought anyway. Well, I’m from a political family. My father was a politician, a prominent politician. And I personally believe in contributing to my immediate environment. So that has been the urge and zeal that I’ve had since my university days. I was a student union leader and I was always trying to fight for human rights, fight for the welfare of our students, the well-being of the students. You would see me at the forefront of the Aluta cause to ensure that what is due to students is given to them. So I’ve always been like that. They called me Kafi Oke right from my university days, from the University of Lagos.
What is your message for your constituent?
Well, my message to them is that I want to express my appreciation for their support. They have been very supportive. I do not even feel as if I am running a primary because many of my constituents have taken over the campaign themselves. People have created banners on their own. They have made posters. They have done so many things independently. They are spending their own money. They are doing so many things on their own. They have produced face caps. Anything you see that people use that has my name is provided by my constituent. I have not been spending my own money on souvenirs like that.
So they have taken it upon themselves to view this as their own project. They are part of the project. They are involved in all the policies I try to implement. They are part of all the programmes I try to carry out. We do everything together. Therefore, they own this project and they have taken it over themselves.
Are you in support of consensus?
Well, I don’t have any decision on that. That is the party’s decision. The party is supreme. Whatever position the party takes is all well and good for us. We are ready whichever way it wants to go.
