- LAGOS Lawmaker, Hon. FOLUKE OSAFILE Explains
Hon. Mrs. Foluke Osafile is a popular and very eloquent lawmaker sitting in the hallowed chamber of the prestigious 10th Lagos State House of Assembly. She represents the good people of Amuwo-Odofin Constituency I which covers highbrow areas in the state, places like Festac Town, Mile 2, Estates, Abule Ado down to the Trade Fair and some parts of Ago Palace Way, Okota. She won her people’s mandate to represent them during the Gubernatorial and State House of Assembly election held on 18th March, 2023. Few days ago, City People Lagos state House of Assembly correspondent, Nifemi Kazeem and City People Reporter, JAMIU ABUBAKAR got her interviewed. There she spoke at length about her emergence as a law maker in the state, how she has settled in the state’s assembly, and what she is doing to reach out to the people of her constituency. Below are excerpts:
What’s your first impression about the Lagos State House of Assembly and how are you coping as an LP member in an APC dominated house?
Honestly speaking, during politics, yes, I’m “ELU-P”. We belong to different political parties. But the moment politics is over, we are into governance now. So you drop that aside and you concentrate on Lagos State. First and foremost, Lagos State, then the 10th Assembly. So your allegiance, your loyalty is to the 10th Assembly and Lagos State as it is. You are only representing your people from your locality under a different party. And honestly, that is the way it is. Once we are done with politics, when you are on the floor, you are in the complex, you are for Lagos state, you are not for any party, par say. Though they are in the majority, I don’t even see myself as a minority, I’m more than able. Thank you.
What’s the experience like joining fellow lawmakers in the law-making chamber?
Well, I want to say here that the speaker of the house, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, being a very experienced person, knows that he needs everyone, because we all need one another, we all need each other. So he’s been very welcoming, very, very accommodating to everybody. Like I said, you’re neither Jew nor Gentile, once you’re on the floor. So irrespective of your party affiliation, once you’re on the floor, you have that same mindset to flow with people. It’s a good place.
You are one of the four women in the house. How have you, women in the 10th Assembly been coping with the male counterpart?
Honestly, I really wish Nigeria would be able to adopt the 35% affirmation for women, for gender equity. I would not say equality. Honestly, I don’t even see the difference. I don’t even see them as more men or less women. We just do our job. But of course, there are more men. And I sincerely pray that other political parties will allow women to come on board. Because women are the salt of the earth. We really need more women in politics. At least 50 -50. In some climes, in some environments, in some countries, we have a balanced equation, especially in a places like Rwanda and Kenya. What is wrong with us? Why can’t we do the same? And I want us to demystify this idea that politics is a dirty game and that you need to be a weird person. You need not be. And that’s the reason why more women should even be on board. Because with women, we will calm every tension. We are not violent. We will not involve any form of violence in politics when women are more in politics.
Why and how did you choose to go into politics?
Oh, how I got into politics is like asking me how I got into being alive. Because I see it as more or less my passion, flowing with my passion. It’s what I love doing. And I just believe that coming into politics will enhance me doing it in a bigger way.
What is your political pedigree and lineage like? How did you become a politician?
Would I say we are political animals, first and foremost, but I know that I have an uncle in the 80s. He has passed on to glory now, my paternal uncle. I would say he is more or less like a pathfinder in politics. Awogbamiye was UPN Secretary, Unity Party of Nigeria Awolowo’s Party. In the 80s, before the military took over, you know, even after the, even in 1999, he was still agile then, but he passed on as an old man fulfilled and you know, comfortable enough. So the legacy, I was just watching. Ever since I have been in politics but not partisan. So my first constitution he bought it for me and he gave me, say go and read and be reading. Go to any party you like, go and just be at the meeting when they are going to put your own poster. So you know, but now that I’m fully in it, here is his count to glory. So I will say that’s my kind of pedigree in the family.
What was the experience like being an LP candidate, contesting and winning an elective post in an APC ruling State?
Yes, honestly, when you’re not in politics, you may not know how it is. Your being a party member is different when you decide to be partisan and hold an elective post. I wouldn’t say it’s easy because it’s like dislodging the incumbent. So in my locality, the strategy, of course, the evident strategy was that we were on the road every day. Every day we were on the road campaigning.
I will say I major in mosquito campaigns. What do I mean? One on one. House to house. Estate to estate. I call them mosquitoes. You know there’s a mosquito bite can kill. Like somebody coming with a gun. So we were able to do that. And one very sad thing about it is that we all clamour for change. But truly, I don’t think we’re ready for change because money politics is still a major issue. Anywhere, everywhere we go, they want to collect money. 2,000 Naira, 1,000 Naira, Can that help your destiny or your journey of life? It can’t. You can imagine you may have agreed, to meet with the people and at the end of the day. They will charge you. That they are sitting there waiting for you. You will pay for the chairs, you will pay for the canopy, you will pay for the water, whatever they will consume. That’s what we did every day. So it’s so, so consuming. And that is part of the reason why we make sure we’re away. It’s so, so many financially. And I want to thank God because the “Obidient Movement”, of course, helped to some extent. You know, of course, our Mantra is that “We no dey give shishi ‘’. Because if I give you 2000 now or 5000, it will finish. I will not be able to have enough to work with. We just talked about the back to school initiative now. It’s on my own. If I had spent so much or shared the money, you know, the way we would be sharing the money, there wouldn’t be anything left. Or I have a godfather somewhere that has financed me, I’ll have to give returns with interest. So if the major challenge is monetary and people are expecting too much from politicians. As a legislator, what can I do?
Mine is to enact law, to do oversight function and to represent my people. I don’t have the executive power to repair or construct roads, but they will be expecting me to do that. So I mean, the media should help us. Let the people know the duties of an executive, a legislator, and a judiciary. We all need each other, but in a way, the weight is on legislators because we are always seen at the grassroots. You will see us before you can see somebody like somebody like Sanwo-Olu, the governor. So, people’s expectation, we are not literate enough. That mindset, money, money, money should be erased completely. Then we will now say, okay, we are good to go. But as it is, “we just dey play”.
Looking at the 2023 election, what would you say are the lessons you learnt?
From my perspective, if only we were truly allowed. The masses, truly wanted that change. And they came all out. The general apathy was no longer there. They came out to cast their vote. The expectation was, the moment the result came out. I’m talking as a Labour Party person now. Hope was dashed. So that enthusiasm of hope, renewed hope of having, change coming truly! There’s a change coming truly was dashed. So, what I am thinking now is, if we truly, truly, truly want change, let everybody do the right thing. It is possible. It is doable. God will not come down. That is my assertion. God had never come down to any society. It is you and I He would make use of. But, we will say another thing, we will do otherwise. We will say one thing we will do otherwise. “we just dey play”. That is it. We just dey play. We don’t mean it.
You ran a project in September tagged “Back to School Initiative”, can you tell us a bit about it?
Of course, every September in Nigeria’s academic calendar is resumption time. And that is the time parents will run around; they pay school fees, buy uniforms and so on. The expenses are more in September compared with January resumption and maybe April resumption. So at least to ease parents of that burden, and let them concentrate. For those that are paying school fees, we’ve been able to go around giving out at least school bags, stationaries, rulers, the basics. That’s what we’ve been able to do, in fact, I’ve been doing that even before politics. So like I said, it’s more like projecting it more. We’re able to go around the constituency with school bags, at least to relieve parents of that, exercise books, rulers, pencils, and all that. So it’s a yearly thing. And I need more support.
It appears that you have so quickly settled into the business of law making in the state. How easy was that for you?
Well, the word is not easy. It’s just, I’ve been in a leadership position before now. So I wouldn’t say it’s easy. It’s just natural, it’s just naturally blended. I’ve been in a pastoral ministry in the past so I’ve been a kind of leader. I’ve been a leader all my life. Let me put it that way because right from elementary, my formative years, I have been made class captain, prefect this and that. So it’s a natural flow. So I don’t even see it as a big deal. Then my temperament too. I flow with everybody.
So how well have you been representing your people and what are the plans and programmes you have for them?
Yes, you know when we’re campaigning, we talked about capacity, confidence, character. I believe I’ve been representing my people well enough. My character, you want me to blow my trumpet now! Please, go ahead ma!
I’ve been representing them well. Then when it comes to empowerment, now of course the children, the women, the men, and the general masses are included. Every month is for projects. In September, we did Back-To-School. In October, we did sports, football and basketball. Now, November by the grace of God we will do free surgery for women with fibroids. We have started the screening. So, for November we will do that and of course December is celebration time. We need to renew hope no matter what. We are alive. So every month there’s always something. My AI coding thing starts to do in January. We have a class and in fact, that one will be like in school. We already have the space and the facilitators. We’re still gathering more funds to kick starts it. Nobody, no youths in my constituency will say I don’t have a job because I am not skilled in something. Being unskilled is a different ball game. If you are an unskilled person, anyhow, anyhow, but at least you will say I have something that I can do to sustain myself. So that is especially for the youths Amuwo-Odofin comprises 75% youths. 75% youths and youths are not so patient. If you tell them to calm down, they would say “na calm down we go chop? They are known for action. I’m ready. And as a mother, I can imagine my son when he graduated for 3 years he was at home wanting to be employed in his discipline. I said, oh boy!You better do other things. If it is a computer, whatever. Of course, thank God he learned, he listened and did something so that the frustration mode will not be activated until you are able to get what you want. You move on. Yes. Equip and move on. Okay, studied Engineering. Now that there’s no engineering work, what will you do? If there’s an opening in the bank, won’t you go for it? And that is the mindset I want us to have, especially our youths, so that desperation and depression, mood will not be activated. When you’re busy doing something, of course that is not the ultimate, you’re going somewhere. I want us to just help us preach that story to our youths it is not now that you graduate, you want to ride big cars. No, it’s a process, it’s a process. It’s a journey of life. If you have it now, what will you have when you are in your 40s or 50s?
– JAMIU ABUBAKAR
(08085185886)
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