By Joseph Erunke

ABUJA-TELEVISION broadcast star and aspirant for Imo State House of Assembly under the platform of Action Alliance, AA, Adaora Onyechere, has said the passion to redevelop education curriculum of the South East geopolitical region, beginning from Okigwe State Constituency she is vying to represent, was among the many factors driving her into the state legislature.

Besides, Onyechere, a British-educated philanthropist said she was seeking elective office where she can actively represent in legislation not only women and children but also the less privileged whose issues she has been championing in private sphere

Speaking to Vanguard on her aspiration in an interview in Abuja, the author and motivational speaker said she intends to redesign the education curriculum of the South East region to meet modern day realities by sponsoring bills to that effect beginning from her home state.

The former African Independent Television, AIT’s Kakaki co-anchor said: “first of all, my legislative agenda is education, simple and fairer foundation for education by redeveloping the curriculum of the education of the South East from the Okigwe Constituency.

“I believe the only way to achieve a purpose is by standing for something,and doing something better than you met it. My zeal is to focus on women and children, policy development and social innovations,” she added.

Speaking on other areas she would focus attention on if elected, she said: “My case is more of a humanitarian ability not political concept. Since 2013, I started to work actively at the grassroots even with the less privileged at the centres especially with women and the children and I focused on the advocacy of giving voice to the voiceless.

“I was able to reach people who did not have platforms of the media, because people complained that media was expensive, and I realized that those issues we don’t touch as media are those issues from people who can’t afford it, so I looked at those issues.

“I would first of all look at the issues of women regarding empowerment and domestic violence. I would look at education for the girl child, which was where all of these things started from. We are looking at the girl child education, domestic violence but I am focused on productivity, national literacy.”

“For me, gender agenda stands for all sexes but Nigeria has some of the largest population for women,and it is primarily utilized across board. Now, because women are primary nurturers,they are the majority of farming population at the rural level,they are the market association members who probably are the biggest exporters of local subsidized farming,they are also the ones with capacity-driven ideas to teach. Over time, the narrative has been that Africa has been a male dominating environment which is not a bad idea.

“I am not of equality, I’m more of equity. Equity in the sense that if a man is earning 15,000 for a job,a woman should earn same amount because they both have the capacity. When you say they should earn less because of gender, that’s where discrimination comes in,”she said.

Speaking on why she is vying for the legislative seat under the Action Alliance, the women right campaigner said:”What therefore, leads my passion and intention to run for the party is not just for the party structure but look at alternative for young people, parties they can call their own, structures they can develop, parties they can trust that won’t malign their ambitions and intentions which is what we have seen primarily with bigger parties.”

She added:”Movement and party leadership is about the people within the party. Remember party funding is about the people, but the ideologies of parties set parties apart. When you see the ideologies of the parties we have around, you come to the conclusion that all of them share same ideology but different logos.”