Senator Nkechi Justina Nwaogu represents Abia Central Senatorial District in the senate. She is chairman, senate committee on oil and gas. Before venturing into politics, she had worked in various financial institutions. In this interview with our Aba Correspondent, Sunny Nwankwo, she speaks about the daunting task of being a female senator, the anomaly of giving staffers target by commercial banks, among other issues.
What is it like being a senator in the midst of men?
It is very interesting and challenging to be a female senator in the midst of men. I am quite happy to be amongst the privileged few in the Nigerian senate of 109 members. So, it is challenging and quite daunting, but at the end of the day, I believe that with God on my side, I have been equal to the challenge of being a female senator.
Are you satisfied with the number of women holding offices in various political positions in the country under this democratic dispensation?
Obviously, I am not. You can see it that for the past 10 to 15 years, we are signatory to the Beijing convention that affirmed a 35 percent minimum provision for women, both appointive and electively. The current federal government under President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has done well in appointing women to various high positions in Nigeria. But for elections, I think it has been abysmal in terms of performance at all levels (federal, state and local government). It has been a source of concern and very worrisome. The number is almost infinitesimal. In most states’ Houses of Assembly, there are no women at all at the houses of assembly, which shouldn’t be. In the senate, we have eight female senators out of 109 and for house of reps., we have 18 female members out of 360. So, it’s a far cry from even meeting 10percent let alone the 35percent.
How would you describe the role of the First Lady (Patient Jonathan) towards the realisation of the 35percent?
She has been wonderful. She is a caring mother that is sensitive to issues that border on the interests of women. No wonder they made her the first woman president of African Peace Mission. She is a mother who is very concerned. Even the president is very concerned about the very negligible number of elected women.
As a one-time banker and past chairman, senate committee on banking, what is your reaction over the target condition that banks normally give to their female staff to meet?
Well, actually, it is not only the female bankers that are given targets. Targets are given to female and male bankers. I think that the policy of assessing bankers by the volume of money their staff have amassed as deposits is the death of skills in banking. When we were bankers, we were adjudged by the quality of client relationship that we maintained. Because, when a customer opened a savings or current account, you can expand that relationship by finding out what other financial product that particular client may need and not necessarily send our young children; the girls and the boys out on the street to go and look for deposits. I think it is a bad thing and I think that is why the banking sector itself has been doing very poorly in terms of maintaining quality staff.
Because a lot of the young staff or graduates, I think the last place they would want to work today are in the banks because they are not assessed by their intellectual prowess; they are assessed by the how much money they have amassed in what they call their deposit targets. So, a lot of them might be forced to do some unethical things. Therefore, I think that policy should be looked into again. When I was chairman senate committee on banking, insurance and other financial institutions, I frowned at it. I criticised the policy and I made it known to the apex bank that the CEOs of all these banks ought to develop products other than deposits. That is not a way to run a bank and bankers should not be assessed on the deposit that they have amassed.
You won’t believe it that somebody who has a short skirt, pretty face and being able to do whatever they like to do and get some deposit are given automatic promotion from one level to another. I think it is absurd, because when you go to other countries, even as close as other African countries, you don’t see such banking practice as a measure of performance on our innocent and willing bankers who are willing to contribute more to the growth of banking industry and invariably to the economic development of our nation.
What is your impression on the level of girl-child education in Nigeria?
I am not only an advocate, but also a crusader, for girl-child education. Because they say, you train a man, you train one family, you train a woman, you train a nation and if a girl-child is trained, look at the spiral and ancillary benefits, an educated child gets married, gets a job, manages her home and job, rears children and is able to give her children quality mother care at all time and becomes a good support for the family because she is educated.
So there are innumerable extended relationships and benefits that can accrue from a girl-child that is educated. I am a crusader and I think that all other mothers should ensure that their girl children are trained at all times. At the same time, you train the boy because it takes two to tango. You need the man and the woman. You need the boy and the girl. If a nation fails to harness the potentials inherent in the girl-child, it is like somebody walking on the road deliberately deciding to work with one leg; I don’t know how effective that person can be.
Some western nations including Canada have been criticising Nigeria and threatening to withdraw humanitarian assistance and dishonour their bi-lateral relations with the federal government since the signing of the anti-gay bill into the law. What is your advice to the federal government?
Well, those who are against our stand on gay marriage, it’s unfortunate that they have to take such stand. I am sure that the same God that created all of us, including those pro-gay people, I believe our God will touch their hearts. They should understand that we are a sovereign nation. We are not an appendage to the Canadian or any other government. We decide and determine laws that are acceptable to us and Nigerians have spoken over the issue. We have spoken that we reject, detest and abhor gay or same-sex marriage. It’s against the law of God. God detests it. If any nation has decided to violate the law of God, let it be unto that nation, but it must not in any way try to coerce us into such a sinful act. Nigerians and Nigerian government have spoken, the legislature has spoken and, indeed, that is our stand. We are anti-same-sex marriage. We do not want it.