Mr. Rommy Mom is the President, Lawyers Alert. He is a lawyer and international development expert with 10 years of experience managing programmes in the fields of good governance and socio-economic rights. In this interview with JULIANA FRANCIS, Mom speaks on how to encourage more women to participate in politics
How true is the claim that the high cost of elections discourages women from participating in politics?
I agree totally with that proposition because the high cost of politics has kept women out of politics in Nigeria and other prominent positions where men have more dominance and advantages over women. If you look at our history, making money in the past comes from having lands, inheritance, and so on. In all of these things, women have historically been denied access to them, women in most cultures don’t own lands, the girl-child is not sent to school, and only boys were sent to school for a very long time. So, over time, men had assumed economic dominance and highly advanced over women.
For women to start to compete with men in any sector where money is an issue; men will always win and politics is one of those areas where money is very dominant. You need to have money to campaign, you need money to buy forms and sometimes, you need money to buy votes which is what we see in this country these days. So, men who have historically been economically advantaged over women will definitely be in such an arena surpass women.
So, the high cost of politics has by indication chased women out of the ability to compete favourably with me and that’s why men in our society have a high advantage over women. Look at developed countries like Denmark, Sweden and what have you, where these factors were not really there, women are dominating men in politics in those areas and not the other way round
Do you think it is possible to rule out the place of money in politics, especially in a country like Nigeria?
It will be difficult because the parties had a tradition that has been there for a very long time and we are gradually trying to pass party finance and then party law is one thing, but implementing those laws is another thing. It will take a very long time for that to happen. What we can do to gradually shape this balance is through affirmative action for women to occupy a certain level of appointive offices since the election is different from appointive offices.
For example, we can say there should be 40 percent of women in the Federal Executive Council, 40 per cent of women in all state councils. We should begin to have more women come into things that will give them influence and power to compete in elected office, but so far we are not seeing that happen because women are not given the opportunity. So, unless we begin to have these actions implemented, it will be difficult.
Secondly, power originates from political parties, we must also take these issues down to the political parties and it will be through factoring women when it comes to elections. Women should be given forms free of charge. All these things will begin to bring up women because money will always hinder them.
Do you think money politics promotes corruption in governance?
Of course, it does because when you throw in so much money into politics, what you are doing is an investment and you are expected to recoup your investment when you get into office. When you borrow money from political godfathers to contest elections, you tend to pay them and sometimes paying them means reaping the state of its resources.
What do you think Rwanda did that they have so many women in parliament, that be replicated in Nigeria?
They are appointed into offices in Rwanda and it all boils down to the person in government, and the president of Rwanda is women empowerment friendly.
What is your take on election violence?
I wouldn’t say that is what is stopping women. Even women can also be violent and have their own thugs, it is not only restricted to men. Men are said to be more involved because they have the money to finance violence because violence itself is not free. You have to pay these boys, buy the guns and so on. So, when we say violence in politics, it means that violence still goes with the issue of money and economic empowerment.
What is your take on the allegation that the new Electoral Act is promoting money politics in a way?
If you look at how big our country is and how you have to go around trying to sell yourself to across the country, I think the political campaign finance law is just being practical. But if that is the case it is sure to say that it is promoting money politics.
For young female Nigerians that want to venture into politics and don’t have money, what is your advice to such ladies?
I will say that now that new political leaders are coming in, we should insist on the implementation of laws that empower women. We should insist on the implementation of the Gender Policy that we have. When we begin to empower women politically, it helps them to empower more women.
