Christy Anyanwu
Mabel Akomu Oboh has distinguished herself as a businesswoman before her decison to join the political race of Edo State. She was in the United Nations, Visa Section of the UK Embassy, Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) just as she is a known actress. She is also an entrepreneur. But now, she said her desire is to serve her state. She is the governorship aspirant of African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the forthcoming elections in Edo State. Excerpt:
With formidable candidates like the incumbent governor, Godwin Obaseki and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, what gave you the confidence to think you stand a chance of winning the election in Edo State?
First and foremost, I was actually quite surprised. I never actually had the ambition to go and contest for any electoral post. I was approached. My party headquarters called me and I think apparently, there was one stage they had approached Obaseki when some youths bought ticket from headquarters to present to him. Obviously, he didn’t give them any audience. That was when he joined PDP. That was the story. But I was very surprised; I was the media head for ADC strategic committee to look over the election. Eventually, they made me the secretary. My duty was to go there and make sure free and fair primary was carried out by the party. One of the candidates that emerged that time surprised me and chose me as deputy. Apparently, I now came back to Lagos, because I work for the headquarters and ADC Lagos as their press secretary. I was surprised when I got a call from headquarters saying that the youths and women of Edo State (They call themselves Edo State United) had approached them that they would want me to contest. And he wants me to be the gubernatorial candidate. I was not prepared for that and having the conversation with them I said let me think about it. I thought about it, got back, they were able to convince me that my CV, they have checked me out on the Internet as regards the things I have been able to do, they found out that I do a lot of charitable things for entertainers and they see that my record is clean and they saw the humanitarian aspect of me and that is where my passion lies apart from entertainment. They feel that as a woman, I would be able to do something for Edo State, to come out and speak for the women and the youths. I told them I don’t have money, our party is not exactly a rich party, what do I do? They convinced me that my skill, my honesty, will be able to do the work. They said enough is enough in Edo State which I do agree with them. I agreed to take up the challenge, I believe in changes I don’t actually agree with what is going on in the state. There is this whole talk about the super power in Edo, I look at it and said at the end of day, God created all of us. Before then, there were other people, and after them there will still be other people. I don’t think that anybody should be intimidated. I decided to come out and take the challenge.
Are you sure you are not wasting your time in this governorship race as some people believe, looking at the timber and calibre running for the same post?
I totally disagree that talk about wasting my time. If everybody says that it means they have actually agreed to become slaves forever. We have now become self defeatist. Why don’t we just commit suicide and go? Life is not like that. God is the one that is in control of everything. I’m not a career politician and joining my political party was based on their manifesto. Maybe as a well travelled person and I have worked in different organizations, I know the suffering of the people and that is why I set up an NGO, Save Our Stars because I know what entertainers are going through. Aside that, I do reach out to other people. I would say in my own small way I’m doing my best. What I want to do is to enlighten the people, I think Edo people are sleeping. To begin with, everything happening in the state, we Edo people are also responsible because we voted those people in. If the corrupt people, I will not call names, if they are assumed not right, so why would they vote them in again. Why should we remain slaves to punishment, to hunger, to lack of infrastructure, to lack of good health. I’m a daughter of the soil, the problem is ours and there is nobody else that will solve it for us but us. They said election is about big money, why is it big money, who is collecting the money and what money are they sharing? Is it manna from heaven or is it their own personal money, or is it the Edo people’s money? We need to ask ourselves questions. Edo people at the moment even in Nigeria we are all lost. We are all following a particular trend.
What would be your focal point if you win the election?
Our morality is all gone. I was in Edo State recently; going around the state and I saw very young girls, as prostitutes. I cried, because it’s height of horror. Now, Edo has this reputation that we are international prostitutes in Italy, everywhere. Why would a woman sell her dignity, their parents would allow them to sell their dignity. I only have one reason for it. Hunger; when our stomach is not full, we lose our morality. There is a problem. My campaign method is not because ooh, I must go and be a governor, and I want us to start asking ourselves questions, if that is the way we want it we should not complain if we don’t want it that way we better do something. There is this thing I find we do a lot in Nigeria, we like shifting blames to others. I heard they are sharing money, N65 million, N5 million per head, somebody is sending money to you and you are collecting it. Is it not better if we are well re-educated that when we work for our money we can afford good homes, good education for our children, we can feed well. Will our dignity not come back?. What is the different between Nigeria and UK , we are even richer than them, and they are an organized society, why are we not organized? The same problem that relates to Edo is related to Nigeria. At the moment, Edo is the main talk. September 19th is going to turn out, it will determine the way Nigeria is going to go in time to come. We need to talk to ourselves. My campaign is questions, upon questions. At first, I don’t want to get myself involved. A young guy said to me, madam, with all these your talk if you don’t do it who will do it? I felt embarrassed, because I have grown up children too. What legacy I’m leaving for them and that is the questions I want Edo people to ask themselves, Edo women to ask themselves, where are their wrappers, the wrapper they use to back and shield their children as protection. It is women that bring up the men, that bring up the children. There is crisis, it is now time for women to come out and protect the children and protect the people. People may say I’m going there to waste my time, I don’t believe that one. I’m going there to campaign, to enlighten the people, to show them the light, to show them that they should not sell their generational vote. They collect money to vote, they may think they are enjoying it, what about their children and great grandchildren? Can’t we be like other countries? You see people jumping from one party to the other like no man business. Before, when you join a party it is based on the party’s ideology. What the party stands for. I joined ADC based on ADC ideology. I am a 56 years old woman, I have never been a member of a political party all my life. And I have never had the aspiration to join any political party, but because of the way people are talking,’ Na them. We don’t get hope Na them’, who are the them? Who make the them and we can stop the them. This is what I’m telling people in this Edo campaign.
What is the strength of ADC in Edo State?
ADC has good strength in the state. We have a secretariat and we have structure in the 18 local governments in Edo State. We have interim chairman, we have ward chairmen, all the way to my village, deep inside Ugbowa. We have a ward chairman there, that would show that we have a good strength there. ADC has been in operation since 2005. We need a voice and I have made up my mind to lend my voice. We need enlightened people. We want enlightened woman to cry out loud. I believe in traditional institution of marriage, family, the role of a woman and the role of a man. In a normal home a woman holds the house together. Men come and go. If they think they own the house it’s a lie. It is the woman.
You never had an experience, don’t you think you should have gone for House of Reps first, or start from the grassroots first ?
What is politics, what is it in being a governor? It is administration, isn’t it? I have worked in NTA as an administrator. I have worked in United Nations in administration. I have worked with the British embassy in Poland for three years, in the visa consular section. I’m a trained criminologist. I’m an entrepreneur, I’m a business woman, I build houses for sale and that is administration . If you cannot run a business you cannot govern. I don’t want people to be calling me a politician, because the name is tainted with thiefry, rogue and all kind of things. I want to be known as an enlightener. A servant of the people. I have been serving the people all along without being in government in my own silent way. The media can attest to it, the poor people can attest to it. There is something called constituted authority. You have specialists in different areas that you consult with. If I have successfully managed all my businesses and worked with the United Nations and managed people, I have worked in British embassy, these are places where they have discipline. And I said to people that anybody that can work in NTA can work anywhere ( I use that as a joke) I have my own manifesto. I designed it myself. The party did not design it for me.
What is your message to the people of Edo State?
Edo State at the moment is a disgrace to the whole world. If our youths are happy it would stop a lot of things. If people are not hungry they will stop prostitution. Even families will stop turning blind eyes to their children standing on the street. That is how bad Edo State is. I’m a true daughter of the soil, but I’m ashamed. I cry for my people, I cry for myself and I cry for my children. If people are seeing sharing of money, I know that nobody can bribe me. What happens to my reputation, how would my children and my friends see me? It’s only the thieves that will applaud me, but people with honour and dignity will see me as a rubbish human being and my reputation matters more to me than any money in the world. That’s why the money I work for, I share to give others. I’m passionate about it and my passion will drive me. If God says it’s the right time to save the Edo people and the Edo people want to save themselves let them take the right path and vote for me, if I now mislead them they can stone me. My children and my family are the first that would attack me.