The ill-advised action of Lagos state government with respect to the deportation from the state of some destitute of Igbo extraction sometime ago has once again brought to the front seat of public consciousness one of the gaping fault lines in the geopolitical contraption called Nigeria – pernicious ethnicity.

The place of the third-tier government, that is local government administration in Nigeria, has remained the thorniest and contentious issue in Nigerian federalism. It has to be, principally because it actually has led to general distortions in public service delivery at the most crucial levels of government.

Former Nigerian Ambassador to Ethiopia and now a member of the House of Representatives where she represents Calabar/ Odukpani Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Hon. Nkoyo Toyo has been in the forefront of civil society movement. The founder of Gender and Development Action-GADA, Nkoyo is a veteran in gender advocacy and issues pertaining to governance. In this interview, she speaks on the attainment of the much desired 35% affirmative action, reveals why the cost of governance is expensive in Nigeria and also urges women to take advantage of laws provided for their protection. Enjoy!

Nice job if you can get it. No wonder the Nigerian Lawmaker fights tooth and nail to stay on the gravy train. It is a known fact that Nigerian Lawmakers are the highest paid in world.

This country today is awash with ill-feelings. The land crawls with bad faith. Anguish and bitterness compete for space, and our vision is blurred by bad faith in high places.