I am practicing public health even as APC women leader

The national women leader of the All Progressives Congress, Dr Betta Edu has declared that she is not leaving or abandoning Public health sector, which is her professional career for politics.

Speaking on TVC’s This Morning show with Yori Folarin on Monday, the former Commissioner for health in Cross River said rather than leaving medicine, she’s combining it with politics because there is politics in everything including medicine.

“I am not leaving medicine for politics, I am actually combining medicine and politics. and remember there’s actually politics in everything including medicine. Policies are being made by politicians that govern tI am practicing both even as national women leader of APC.”

The national women leader of the All Progressives Congress, Betta Edu has commended the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his untiring role in promoting the course of women in the country.

Speaking on the antecedents of the APC presidential candidate in empowering women, Dr Edu said the APC candidate remains one person who has remained committed to pushing the course of women not just in Lagos but across the country.

She recalls how the former governor of Lagos started the trend of having a female as deputy governor.

The women leader said the APC candidate has given many women the platform to thrive not only in political space, but every other sphere of life.

The APC national women leader said the former governor is someone that can be trusted that he will give women more opportunities when he gets to power.

“If you follow his records very closely, you will know that his excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu is one person who began that strong push for women, not just in Lagos state, but in Nigeria.

“He started what is now the trend of having a female as deputy governor. He has given women more opportunities in government. A former deputy governor of Lagos State, Her Excellency, Adegbule, who is my very good friend, is now given half of the State to represent because she is a senatorial candidate of the party in area where you have Alimosho which is the half of the state if not more.

“When I had one-on-one with Asiwaju Tinubu, he made it categorically clear that we cannot grow the country without women, without the women we cannot succeed. And he promised that beyond the 35% affirmative, he will give women more sensitive positions in government from the cabinet to the heads of parastatals,” the women leader said.

While reacting to questions on factors militating against active women participation in the political sphere in Nigeria, the former commissioner for health identified religion and culture as two major factors.

The APC National Women Leader frowned at believes in section of Nigeria that women should not be heard, or should be on the same path as men, and that they cannot contribute equally, and that women should stay at home.

She stated further that there are states where women will not be voted because the states believe they will not be adequately represented by a woman. She however bemoaned the fact that women are stereotyped and relegated.

Dr. Betta Edu observed that women are doing well in other parts of the world. “In other climes or countries around the world, you find women doing so well, women are leading countries as presidents, prime ministers, you name it, you find women in parliament, you find women all the way down, you find women everywhere, they are taking their rightful place they are being mainstreamed, unfortunately, in Nigeria we have not yet gotten to that level yet”

According to Dr. Edu, women are starting to change their ways of not supporting women. “Women are starting to realise that we have the numbers, and we should come together to help other women succeed in whatever elections they stand for”

She continued by saying that because women often want to pursue political careers but lack the financial resources. “A man is coming into the election with so much money to do consultation, print posters do jingles, go door-to-door, provide some incentives, campaign materials and the rest of it and then the woman who is running might not be as buoyant as that man to be able to run, and so he puts her on a disadvantaged position in reaching out to the population that will actually vote”.

“Whether you believe it or not, election is an expensive process and so women not being financially capable have deterred some from getting into the ring”

The APC National Women Leader bemoaned the fact that none of the seven bills that went to the national assembly were passed because these are bills that would have put women in the mainstream center position to reach out to fellow women and contribute their quota to the country’s development.

“It’s unfortunate that seven bills went to the house or the national assembly and they were not passed it, should not be so, these are bills that should strengthen the female gender, these are bills that should give us thirty five percent of formative action, these are bills that should be able to place us in the mainstream center position to reach out to fellow women and indeed give our own quota to development of the country but this was not so”, Dr Edu said.

The national women leader of the All Progressives Congress commended the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his untiring role in promoting the course of women in the country.