How Nigeria's youngest lawmaker is doing

By Demola Akinyemi, Ilorin

Ruqayat Motunrayo Shittu, 27, representing Owode/Onirin Constituency of Asa Local Government Area of ​​Kwara State in the State Assembly, is currently the youngest female parliamentarian in the Nigeria. A 2022 graduate in Mass Communication from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Hon Ruqayat is the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Youth, Sports, Information and Tourism in the Assembly.

In this interview, she spoke about her political journey, her relationships with other older and more experienced legislators, and her passion for making a positive impact on the lives of her people.

Excerpts:

How do you see your entry into Nigerian politics as the youngest female parliamentarian?

It makes a lot of waves here and there, but I don't get carried away with all that stuff because I think it comes with a huge responsibility and if you really want to make a statement you have to do something really big , so it's not about being a woman or being young.

The constitution doesn't say that because she's a woman you have to give her this or that, that's democracy. And my entry into politics has been very eventful because that is the situation of Nigerian politics, it has its own responsibility and I believe I am doing my part in my own way.

Was there anything that inspired you to follow this path? I can say I ended up here because in life you may set your sights on something and find out it's not what God intended for you. Yes, I dreamed of something like that, but not this early. I have been the type of person who has always been passionate about governance.

When I was still young, in my primary and secondary schools, I worked in one position or the other and also when I was pursuing my diploma in Mass Communication at the Kwara State College of Arabic and Islamic Studies (CAILS).

My father saw in me that I was always ready to participate in community activities and he encouraged and inspired me. He was behind every position I applied for in college and even during my diploma program.

My father always gave me money to run for one position or another, he really encouraged me a lot to do things. So I didn't end up here, it's something I'm passionate about and I'm happy with what I stand for.

Even when I was doing journalism, I focused on governance and women in politics. So what I stand for is what I'm going through right now and it's the best thing that could 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, it has been a passion for me. When I was at school, I actively participated in student politics, and as part of student politics, I was also seriously involved in community activities. I was a member of a group “Kwara Must Change” and 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 has particularly encouraged women to aspire to leadership positions.

How do you react to that?

In this current tenth assembly, we have five women and this is the highest number of any state in the entire north-central part of the country.

Looking at this, we can truly say that Kwara State has reached thirty-five percent positive responses

action and I remember that during the primary elections, women got seats in their parties because they saw the kind of atmosphere that is currently prevailing in Kwara State which encourages women in politics . Even within the PDP and the Labor Party, some women wanted to run for certain positions, notably in the House of Representatives. What the governor is doing is therefore a revelation: many young people are now ready to enter politics.

As a youngster still learning, I really learned from Governor AbdulRazak AbdulRahman, who is my role model. Today's Kwara is really good under him and we are breaking records not only in speech but also in our activities.

How do you understand your job as a legislator representing your district and how do you plan to give your district quality representation?

Basically, as the former president of the Senate of the Student Parliament, I already had an idea of ​​the responsibilities of a legislator. So, in my manifesto, I outlined four main things that I would work on: lawmaking, quality representation, executive oversight, and voter participation...