Benedicta Attoh (popularly called Bennie) has a dream.  Her vision is to make a difference in the world.  A positive one but people who say they want to make a difference in the world must have some nerve because often those who set out to do grandiose things have got grandiose notions about themselves and they sometimes end up generating controversies, simply by .......well, simply by being themselves as they put the rest of the world off  with their perfectly worthwhile causes.

Even the most saintly of persons (although I don’t claim to be a saint) have been known to irritate others at times.   Even though saving or changing the world positively is a deed worth doing, I am prepared to be a little bit irritating as we progress the rebirth of Nigerian politics.

Born some thirty something odd years ago to a semi literate father and a highly intelligent but not educated mother, I displayed my ability to be a leader at a very young age.  Class monitor/leader in my primary school days (the one assigned to write the names of noise makers in the class), class prefect in secondary school, both class representative and students leader in the university, the traits have been there all along.  Politics and leadership are definitely a part of my life.

As fate would have it, at the end of 2003, information got to me that immigrants like myself in Ireland could vote and be voted for at the local elections in June 2004.  In the past, immigrants have only been asked to speak on immigration issues but thankfully, for the first time in the history of Ireland, we allowed to test our abilities to speak on all issues regarding women, men, children, families, love, social issues, religion, culture, personal experience and of course leadership and politics.  You just name it.

The news of the right to participate in local Irish politics was a welcome one.  I believe it was the most important step taken by the Irish Government to foster the inclusion of immigrants.  We live here as normal, ordinary people, working and paying our taxes therefore, it is only reasonable that we are allowed to participate in all aspects of Irish life.  This information stirred up the political and leadership traits in me.  I was awakened from a temporary slumber.  I embraced the opportunity with open arms knowing that one of the things I knew how to do best had been let loose.  Besides that, it was an opportunity to explode the myths concerning Nigerians and to prove to the host community that ‘one cap does not fit all’.  All Nigerians are not criminals or fraudsters!

Irish politics is more or less a family business.  Most people vote for the political parties their great grand fathers voted for.  The generational string must not be broken.  So venturing into a family business was not just a Herculean task but outright madness according to some people.

A very difficult task indeed, not knowing what to expect from the local population, one day at a time, I started the electioneering process, thanks to my campaign manager (an Irish woman who resigned from another political party to work with me) and other well meaning people who saw and shared my vision and decided to support me all the way.

As the days progressed and the elections drew near, we went from door to door asking the people of Dundalk and County Louth to help me realise my dream.  The foot walk was physically exhausting but the smiling faces and words of encouragement I received at the doorsteps from the majority of the people was like the adrenaline I needed in my blood to continue the campaign.

And so polling day came, votes were cast and contrary to the expectations of a few negative people, I was successful.  I did not get elected so how then was I successful?  Well, this is one of the few times where failure means success.  Successful, because as the first African to stand for elections in Dundalk and County Louth, the response from the public was overwhelming.  The votes especially in the county proved beyond any reasonable doubts that the people of Dundalk and indeed county Louth were capable of looking beyond colour, creed and religion and above all, my dream although not actualised this time, is indeed realisable.

Another reason I consider myself successful is the fact that I contested as an Independent Candidate.  That means I had no party affiliations but after the elections, looking at my brilliant performance, all the mainstream political parties started lobbying me to join them.  It took me 15 months to make up my mind and join the Labour party.  I have been elected to the position of Vice Chair, Labour party in County Louth with 8 months of joining the party.

A third reason I consider my failure a success is the fact that the percentage of women participating in politics across the world is very low.   In Ireland, 51% plus of the Irish population are women but the representation of women in the parliament is 13%.  The National Women’s Council of Ireland in a recent press release has once again called for legislative action to combat the under-representation of women in politics, following the results of a survey carried out by the General Council of County Councils.  According to the survey, the number of women on county and city councils continues to be low, with men still accounting for 80% of local representatives.

The survey found that, out of 883 city and county councillors; only 153 (or 17.5%) are women.  This shows an increase of 23 female representatives on the 1999 elections. The results of this survey show that very little has changed. There is now an urgent need for legislative action, which would oblige all political parties to introduce quotas, where an equal number of women and men are put forward as candidates for the local and national elections. I do not see why this strategy cannot be adopted in Nigeria.  Scandinavia is very successful in this regard at the moment.  The Rwandan parliament has also made significant progress in this regard.

While there are more women in ministerial positions in Government in Nigeria today than in the past, there has been a persistently low rate of success at local council elections for women entering local politics, and given that this is the usual way for women to enter national politics, it is a worrying situation that this is being ignored by the present Nigerian Government.  It is now crucial that political parties begin a radical strategy that promotes female participation in politics at a local level.

If the present and subsequent governments in Nigeria are serious about achieving equality for all and not just women, there must be equal representation of women in the decision-making process right from the grassroots. Without this the views and needs of women and other vulnerable people will not be adequately represented.

The negativity surrounding the participation of women in politics must stop.  Women must stick together and encourage each other.  There is no better time than election time for women to show solidarity for each other as men do.  Demanding our rightful place in government is one thing but voting for what we want is the greatest political effort and support we can render each other.  For every individual owns his/her vote which cannot be taken away by anybody.

Of these negative people, I feel ashamed because I know that many of them who sit on their arses, questioning the motives of others, do little or nothing to help anyone but themselves.  And surely it is better to try to do something to help others, however little and no matter how grand the goal might be.