By Demola Akinyemi, Ilorin

27-year-old Ruqayat Motunrayo Shittu, representing Owode/Onirin Constituency of Asa Local Government Area of Kwara State in the State House of Assembly is currently the youngest female legislator in Nigeria. A 2022 graduate of Mass Communication from the National Open University Of Nigeria (NOUN), Hon Ruqayat is the Chairperson, House Committee on Youths, Sports, Information
and Tourism in the Assembly.

In this interview, she spoke about her political journey, her relationship with other older and more experienced lawmakers and her passion to positively impact the lives of her people.

Excerpts:

How do you see your entry into Nigeria politics as the youngest female state lawmaker?

It makes a lot of waves here and there but I don’t get carried away by all of those things because I believe it comes with a huge responsibility and if you really want to make a statement you must do something really significant, so it’s not about being a woman or being young.

The constitution does not say because she’s a woman you have to give her this or that, this is democracy. And my coming into politics has been very hectic because that is the situation of Nigerian politics, it has its
own responsibility and I believe I’m doing my part in my own little way.

Was there anything that inspired you to tread along this path? I can say I found myself here because in life you might be aiming for something and you discover that is not what God has planned for you. Yes, I have been dreaming of something like this but not as early as it came. I have been the kind of person who is always passionate about governance.

While I was still young, in my primary and secondary school, I occupied one position or the other and also when I was doing my Diploma in Mass Communications programme at Kwara State College of Arabic and Islamic Studies (CAILS).

My father saw it in me that I was always ready to engage in community activities and he encouraged and inspired me. He was behind all the positions I contested for in the university and even during my diploma programme.

My father always gave me money to go and contest for one position or the other,
he really encouraged me a lot to do things. So, I did not just find myself here, it is something that I am passionate about and I’m glad about what I am advocating for.

Even while doing journalism my focus was on governance and women in politics. So,
what I’m advocating for is what I’m living right now and it’s the best thing that could ever happen to me.

Why did you decide to go into politics instead of looking for a job after graduation?

I didn’t just wake up to join politics, this has been a passion for me. When I was in the school I actively participated in student politics and from student politics, I was also seriously involved in community
activities. I was a member of a group, “Kwara Must Change” and I have been a member of APC since 2019.

I was also actively involved in the “O to ge” movement that ushered in the current administration of Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq in the state.

Politics in Kwara state is peculiar where Governor AbdulRazaq AbdulRahman particularly encouraged the women to aspire into leadership positions.

How do you react to this?

In this present tenth assembly, we have five women and that is the highest number in any state in the entire North Central of the country.

Looking at this we can actually say that Kwara state has achieved thirty-five per cent affirmative

action and I remember that during the primary election, we had women who got forms in their parties because they saw the kind of atmosphere that is prevailing now in Kwara state that is encouraging women in politics. Even in the PDP, and in the Labour party, we had some women who wanted to contest for some positions including the House of Representatives. So what the governor is doing is an eye-opener, many young people are now ready to go into politics.

Being a young person still learning, I’ve really learnt from Governor AbdulRazak AbdulRahman, who is my role model. Kwara of today is really good under him and we are breaking records not just by mouth but by our activities.

How do you understand your job as a lawmaker representing your constituency and
how do you intend to give your constituency quality representation?

Basically, as a former Senate President of the Students Parliament, I already had an idea of the responsibilities of a lawmaker. So, in my manifesto, I stated four major things that I would be working on which are lawmaking, quality representation, executive oversight and constituency outreach. I have been doing so many things on this four-point agenda as set out in my manifesto.

Do you feel intimidated as a young, inexperienced legislator in the midst of older
and experienced legislators?

I never feel intimidated in the midst of other older and experienced legislators.

What I have come to understand since we resumed at the assembly is that you have to be constructive and be passionate about achieving whatever you have set out to do. For me, I have not been sidelined at all.

Even in the assembly they often called on me to do so many things, so they never saw me as a young person who didn’t have any value or anything to add to the success of the state assembly.

I have represented the state assembly in many capacities within the short period that we were inaugurated. From the Speaker to other principal officers we are open to one another, we are all one. So, I’m always carried along in whatever we do in the state assembly.

How did you emerge as a candidate of your party and what was your experience on the
field campaigning for election?

I emerged as the candidate of the party through the primary election of APC. Talking about my experience on the field, it wasn’t easy. There were lots of storms which were expected. The kind of privilege I was given as a candidate happened to be a rare one being a very young person and a female.

Interestingly, all of these challenged me the more. But with prayers and my determination to succeed as well as the support of my supporters including our governor, I emerged victorious at the end of it all.

What have been your contributions on the floor of the House?

So far, I have moved some motions and supported motions too. There is a Bill we are
working on which I don’t want to disclose here for now.

How will you encourage youths like you who also want to go into politics in future?
Many people have their own definitions of politics. So, when they get elected into office, they will no longer be accessible, they will not reach out to their communities.

In my own situation I will leave it for members of the society to describe or assess me. But as for me personally, aside the palliative from the state government, I have been reaching out to the grassroots on my own. I’ll go alone and not send anybody.

So, anything that comes to my office or passes through my office, unless I am not available, I make sure I follow it up and go to the villages. I have the pictures
of the last one I did before this rice palliative came up, I went to markets, and rural environments. I’ve been doing that for some time now and we are still doing it anyway.

When the junior and senior secondary schools resume for the next academic session, we are going to have a mentorship programme and we are having a little package for some of the students who did well in the last term in order to encourage students ahead of another term. We are also going to provide free ipads for over one thousand (1000) students across Owode Onirin constituency, all of these are already on ground, we’re just waiting for the school to resume for us to go there and do the
needful. And while doing that we will do some mentorship about governance and
politics as well.

What is your message to Nigerians who are presently going through hard times
because of the oil subsidy removal?

I want everybody to know that for us to build a house, it is not something that you suddenly wake up to do, it is a continuous work, the process is a very long one, so many things will be done before you get it through. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is committed to building a new Nigeria, that’s why he tagged his campaign “Renewed Hope”.

So this cannot happen in a day, a month or two months, we have to be patient with him, he’s ready to work for a better Nigeria.