POLITICAL MOVEMENT, EVOLVING WOMEN IN POLITICS, DRUMS SUPPORT AMONG NIGERIAN WOMEN; TO BECOME POWER BROKER IN 2023 AND BEYOND
By Oki Samson, Trek Africa Newspaper
Hajia Raliat Abdulsalam, Vice President, Evolving Women in Politics (EWIP).
Hajia Raliat Abdulsalam says ‘only a woman will want to give you a chance without expecting something in return’.
A new political movement, Evolving Women in Politics (EWIP) which started operations only six months ago in January 2021 is waxing strong as a reputable front for Nigerian women to nurture their political dexterity, economic capacity, and make Nigeria better by reaching out to all. Composed of women from all spheres of life, Evolving Women in Politics (EWIP) aims to become a power broker in Nigerian politics for women.
The Vice President of the non-partisan political group, Alhaja Raliat Abdulsalam says the organization is all-embracing assembly for Nigerian women whether they are successful, struggling, single, married, and from all states, parties, and religions represented in Nigeria. Now in 23 states and the FCT Abuja, EWIP is headed by the robust, multi-ethnic leadership comprising Hajia Fati Bello as President, Alhaja Raliat Abdulsalam as the Vice President, Nkiruka Orisarayi as Secretary, Olori Aderonke Erinle as Treasurer/Financial Secretary, and Paris Ado-Sanusi as Program coordinator.
Hajia Raliat Abdulsalam, Vice President, Evolving Women in Politics (EWIP).
In this exclusive interview with Oki Samson of Trek Africa Newspaper, the enterprising and charitable Raliat who calls herself ‘Wazobia’ owing to her wide connections with Nigeria having being born by Kogi and Kwara parents, attended schools in the north and south, and has helped many indigenous organizations to grow spoke more on the EWIP and their expectations for women in politics.
Trek Africa: Tell us about Raliat Abdulsalam?
Raliat Abdulsalam: I am from a very large family. Half of me is Kogi, half of me is Kwara. I am accountant by profession. I am a businesswoman, a CEO of many small businesses. I am a director in several organizations. I am married with 5 kids. As a person, I am involved in three NGOs. I started a football club, Lekki Junior Strikers now 12 year old. I am involved in the board of Women Football development in Lagos. I started Raliat Abdulsalam Foundation last year and we have been able to do a lot for single women, children, and the elderly.
Trek Africa: What is the strength of women from history?
Raliat Abdulsalam: Women from history have always been strong. Women have fought wars and have won. Where women ruled, they were always more sacrificial in the history of Africa and in Nigeria. Have you forgotten Queen Amina of Zaria?
There was a shift when men discovered the power of women and decided to dominate her. This shift came from religion. Christianity, Islam made the women silent with statement like the man is the head, the woman is the neck.
What we want is recognition of our power of organization. We have innate compassion. Only a woman will want to give you a chance without expecting something in return. Not men, if it is not money, it will be your body or something.
Hajia Raliat Abdulsalam, Vice President, Evolving Women in Politics (EWIP).
Trek Africa: Could that shift be the reason for the drop in female representation in our Houses?
Raliat Abdulsalam: When men saw the vibrancy of women, they worked against the drive and because women are subservient to their men, we can see a drop in the number of women in the Senate and House of Reps. It is because they don’t know what to do or do not deserve to be there but because of their husbands and more so, finance, how many women can afford to compete for office in Nigeria. We are open. We don’t discriminate. Most of us did not even know ourselves until we started the movement.
Trek Africa: What is the idea behind Evolving Women in Politics?
Raliat Abdulsalam: Evolving Women in Politics is a political movement. We are not partisan. We are a group of women, multiparty in nature. As women, we are more sacrificial and more giving, and we believe that if we come today, our voices will be heard.
The shift must happen. We want to expose, educate and let women know the power they carry. We want to make women know that you cannot be bought with a few thousand naira or only you want to shine.
The goal is to form a group of women – successful women, struggling women, single women, married women, different states, different parties, and different religions. First, we want to empower women from the grassroots. Second, we want to promote female agenda. Third, we want to create a path into policy making in Nigeria by engaging women already in office in spite of their political party. How many rape cases end up to get justice? Fourth, we want to support women who are ready to encourage more women into governance so that we can be part of politics. In 2023, we believe we will produce more women in politics from the grassroots. Our mantra is EWIP…we move.
Trek Africa: How do you handle issues of friction among women as such led to the failure of Sarah Jibrin’s presidential interest?
Raliat Abdulsalam: Part of it is to enlighten ourselves, are we better off backbiting and pulling each other down? We are better off promoting ourselves. We will have seminars, trainings, teach children in public speaking while we empower women and orphanages.
To be fair to Sarah Jibrin, politics in Nigeria and all over the world, you spend money and compromise some things to get votes. You give a little, take a little. How many people did she really convince to join her? Imagine EWIP was in existence then with the kind of movement, would she have only one vote?
Hajia Raliat Abdulsalam, Vice President, Evolving Women in Politics (EWIP).
Trek Africa: What is the structure of EWIP?
Raliat Abdulsalam: It is a political structure. We are picking executives in each state. We want to be represented from the ward level to the LGA to the state then to the federal. We have people in 23 states and FCT already. We are looking at the remaining 13 states. It might look slow but we started in January 2021 and we have many members. Most of our WhatsApp groups are filled. We are just initiating the meet and greet sessions. We are also launching other activities. It is a different thing to be large on social media and then to really have the people active.
Our first programme was in Ife. We did an empowerment program for market women there. One of us was given a title in Ife so we used the opportunity to show ourselves. We paid a courtesy visit to the Ooni of Ife and he hosted us. He is a very nice, responsive person who is open to beautiful ideas. We plan to do a widow’s reach out in two weeks. Any state we decide to do it, we will take it to a village to do it.
Meanwhile all our states coordinators also have their programmes. Today, Oyo state went to an orphanage to do some enlightenment and to give back.
Trek Africa: Who are the leaders of EWIP?
Raliat Abdulsalam: Our president is Hajia Fati Bello, I am the VP, our secretary is Nkiruka Orisarayi, our Treasurer/Financial Secretary is Olori Aderonke Erinle, and our Program coordinator is Paris Ado-Sanusi. We have a lot of women involved.
We are not partisan. We know that once you bring in a person who belongs to a political party, everybody will assume it is APC or PDP. We don’t want to define ourselves by people in politics. Though I come from a political family, I have not really being involved in politics. It is just now that I am getting involved.
Hajia Raliat Abdulsalam, Vice President, Evolving Women in Politics (EWIP).
Trek Africa: What are you doing to get more women into EWIP?
Raliat Abdulsalam: What we are doing is that we are getting women who are 18 to get their PVCs. You cannot make any change without that first step. I told my daughter to go join the UK group when she saw our flyers so we are allowing the young ones join early so that in 10years, they can make a difference.
We will get more offices for women because we are positioning ourselves to be able to negotiate for women. We will take money from whoever gives us but that will not becloud what we are doing. We are not going to sellout our votes to hinder our own chances at policy making. We want to be a powerbroker in Nigeria.
Hajia Raliat Abdulsalam, Vice President, Evolving Women in Politics (EWIP).
