It’s hard as a woman in the National Assembly – Ireti Kingibe

Senator Ireti Kingibe, representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has shared the significant challenges she faces as a woman in the Red Chamber of the National Assembly, particularly the ongoing need to lobby for progress on various issues.

Despite these obstacles, Kingibe emphasized that she has achieved notable advancements.

Her efforts came into focus after criticisms from rural women and female farmers in the FCT, who accused the senator of neglecting them after they supported her with their votes.

During the 8th edition of the Voice of Women (VOW) conference and awards in Abuja, one of the women, speaking anonymously, expressed disappointment, stating that despite the backing given to female politicians, they felt abandoned, lacking follow-up engagement, training, or empowerment for the local women who campaigned for her.

The woman explained, “Last year, during political campaign, all those women that were fighting for positions, they entered into all the rural villages and towns through the women leaders and asking them to mobilise the women to come out and ensure that women are being voted into power and we voted them.

“But do you know that since last year, there has not been any avenue, no town hall meeting, no thank you to all those local women that voted them.

“During the election, women that came out were looking for a woman to vote for especially here in FCT where I voted, but after that election, no thank you, none of them has come to see us.

“That road that they followed to go to the interior villages to look for those women leaders to mobilize women for them, they didn’t go back to those women leaders, they did not go back to those community-based leaders.

“Now, those women we mobilised are now looking at us and saying that they have given us money, they have given us salt, rice and you are alone when there is nothing as such. They didn’t even call us to their inauguration, they didn’t come back to say thank you.”

She added: “Thank you to me means – you voted me into power, you invite us and said thank you and then if there’s anything I will remember you. Like in AMAC FCT now; I know there are some empowerment skills going on, those people are supposed to bring some forms to those women.

“If it is empowerment to train their children or train those women to acquire skills that will help their families, but there’s nothing like that in FCT as I am talking now.”

In her defense, Kingibe expressed her frustration with the misconceptions around governance: “For the record, I am the only woman elected in the FCT. Now, there’s this misconception as to what everybody defines what governance is. To me, it is bringing the most to the people.”

She emphasized that while she may not have personally reached out to every voter, her focus has been on broad-reaching initiatives for the general benefit of the FCT.

Kingibe also acknowledged the difficulties of being a woman in the National Assembly, explaining that she has to constantly lobby ministers to ensure important projects receive funding.