 Welcome back. It is nice to know that you're still watching. We told you that when we return, we're going to be having a conversation around the women in politics in Nigeria. There's been a lot of conversations worldwide about equality between men and women. And, you know, under international standards, both men and women should have equal rights and opportunities to everything, especially to participate fully in all aspects and at all levels of political processes. Globally, women constitute over half of the world's population and contribute in vital ways to societal development generally. In Nigeria, politics is presumed to be a man's turf. This is an unspoken slogan which has played over the years as we witness low participation of women in mainstream politics. Joining us to have this conversation is Paristar Juliet E.C. Kayere. She's the ADC House of Representatives candidate for AMAC and Bori Federal Constituency, Abuja. Hello and welcome. Hello and welcome. Hello and thank you for having me. All right. I hope that clears up while we continue. But quickly because how would you describe women participation in politics in Nigeria? How would you describe women participation in politics in Nigeria as of today? Oh, yes. It's been a tough one because all the time we've had, you know, a lot of women are interested in women participation in politics in Nigeria because of it. I'm saying we have a universe of women and constituents and people. All right. I think the viruses audio is really poor. I would have wanted to hear what she has to say about, you know, participation of women in politics. But what's your perception about, you know, this particular issue? First of all, if we're able to rejoin her with a better audio will bring her back. But for now it's we can't get anything from it. But women in politics, I think most of the problem of the participation of women in politics is on the women themselves. A lot of them think that it should be just a matter of handout to them. And then a lot of other ones do not even want to support the women folk. Maybe because the men who are involved in the politics have more money to spend. Maybe because of one thing or the other, they don't want to support the women themselves. That is on the one hand. Thirdly, I would like to say that what really I see as a problem for the women is their modus operandi in the political circles. For instance, you expect a very intelligent married woman, for instance, to be attending only night meetings of 2 a.m. all the time. Because no matter how we see it, as small as that is, it affects the home. And whether a man brags anyhow, the woman is still in charge of the home, whether we like it or not. She is the one that brings order to the house. She is the one that brings order even to the husband and all that. So when you now begin to do things that will not favor the woman, so many times they will now resort to sitting back and saying, OK, whatever can be given to me by way of percentage, by way of zoning, by way of handouts and all that. But I think the political situation in the country couldn't have been that bad that women do not want to participate. But like you said, people have the perception that it's a man's stuff. So when we are going there, we are just going to compete with the men. Not knowing that they have the same rights as the men and they should take the bull by the horn as it is because it is there. Is it really a matter of knowledge and acknowledgement of the knowledge? Because you just said they do not know that they have the same rights as the men. They do not think that they have the same rights. Is it really the same? Because look at the itinerary and a very regular day for a married woman and a very regular day for a married man. Do you think these two persons have a level playing ground, the same equal opportunities to participate and play politics to its core? You see, I pointed that thing out. That's one of the things that give me concern because if you want someone who is really intelligent that could have contributed, just because of the way that you operate, it gives that person a disadvantage. So they should find some kind of level playing ground. But you see, that is on one hand. But on the other hand, if you see like the last election or last nomination when people were buying forms and all that, some parties give their female intending candidates or aspirants forms for free and they ask them to come and get it for free. Or they reduce the price to like half or less than half so that women can participate as well. But there were still no women that were coming for to participate. So while we blame the system, while we blame political parties and the system, we also have to blame the women as well. So everybody has a blame, so to speak. Then some women are not deliberate about preparation to become office holders the way they should become office holders. Do they have what it takes to be that deliberate? Well, I don't know what you mean by being deliberate, what it takes because a lot of them, some women actually have more money than the men who have contested. The society has, you know, naturally made these women disadvantaged. In what way? Apart from what I've pointed out. Look at the place of misogyny, the fact that a woman even has it in her mind that she wants to do politics. A lot of men, even in her same political party, are looking at her like this one doesn't know she's a woman, you get? So you have the place of misogyny. I think it's a total societal reset that we need to do to get to that point. I think it's just defeatist on the part of the person who feels that because the society says this, that is true about me. Because if the man says, look at this one, she doesn't know that he's a woman. That is in words. It is apart from the actual, it is apart from the point of acting it out. Okay, but good. If you're going into a political space and you know that... Sorry to cut you short, Nyamgo. Let us say party ABC has a woman aspirant. And this person, let me take it up to the point where she has actually been to the primaries and she has, you know, emerged as a candidate. You know this person is a woman. How does your party come together to give her the support that she needs? That is when you see factions up and down here and there. That is when you will see people being aggrieved. That is when you would know that you have money to support women. So you go and rally other women against this woman. So you see it's not an individual thing. It's a collection. Not as I would like to agree with what you're saying. I will deviate a little bit. You have gone into the primaries, you've won, and you are now a candidate. Now, it is like you want to go into the army and say to become an army person, you will have to carry a gun and you will have to go into battle. If you are a woman, you should be ready to face battle. Can I ask you a question? Because if what it takes to remain there is to pull a lot of people down, is to fight inside a ring and everything, if you're not ready to do it, then you're not qualified. That's what I feel as a person. Let me ask you a question. What word are you from in your local government? The word I am from in my word one, a casual word one in my local government. So there are two candidates, a woman who is qualified. You know she has all the qualities. The man too does. Who would you vote for? I would vote for the person who shows that he can endure. You are giving it to the police. Listen to what I'm telling you. We have reached, we have arrived at a point where both of them are qualified. So it's now for them to prove to us that I can stand. And then you are the woman. Maybe you have a hundred thousand to spend. The man has a hundred thousand to spend. And you think it's because I'm a woman they should give it to me. It's a lie. People will go to the person that they see as shown walking. So I'm not trying to say the political system or the political whatever it is terrain favors a woman or does not favor a woman. Things that can be done deliberately to give the woman a level playing field. But beyond that, it is left for the woman to prove it. So you don't think women have the political will to step out and play politics as it should be? Is that what you're saying? A lot of them have. But a lot of them also do not have. And then their problem will not even be because they are women. You're not picking it also. You need to pick it also. Listen, the problem is not even because they are women. But because the women folk themselves will not even support them. So when you're talking, you're talking and blaming the men like it's the men that make them look like they are women. How many women support women politicians? Anywhere you're from, tell me how many women have won because the women supported them. So we should add it to the list of changes we need to make. Is that what you're saying? Like you said, change the mindset has to be changed. But the women themselves have to change their mindset that we can do this. Whether the men give us or not, we can do it. This is a conversation we definitely need to have. I am hoping that maybe tomorrow or some other time we'll be able to have Barista EC actually have this conversation with us because it is something that is very important but is rarely talked about. I'm hoping that we will be able to bring her to continue this conversation. But this is where we try to cut in on today's edition of the run-up. It will return, but it will be tomorrow at 11am. My name is Uche Chuku Onado. We hope that you are going to be there to join us as well. My name is Nyam Gul Agadji. Bye for now.