Lawmaking should be part-time, Senator Daisy Danjuma suggested yesterday.
The senator, who represented Edo South Senatorial District from 2003 to 2007, was of the view that politics should not be a full-time career.
She said she was sometimes amused when people described themselves as career politicians.
Danjuma, who sits on the board of many companies and chairs some, said she found some political meetings time-wasting.
To her, some of the time spent in the process of law-making and associated meetings can be abridged.
“They sometimes carry on over nothing. They talk and talk and talk. And I would wonder: what have they achieved in this meeting? If it is a board meeting, within two hours, we’re done.
“I would be thinking to myself during some deliberations after a few hours: I want to do other things. Let’s conclude and go.
“We’re supposed to sit on a part-time basis. We’re supposed to go to our constituencies and spend time with them.
“For some, it’s their full-time jobs. That’s their core job. A lot of things need to be reviewed,” she said.
Danjuma spoke at the Fourth Edition of the Inspire Her Series organised by the Advocacy Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Women Forum in Lagos.
Section 63 of the 1999 Constitution provides: “The Senate and the House of Representatives shall each sit for a period of not less than 181 days in a year.”
In effect, of the 313 available working days in a year excluding 52 weekends, the lawmakers are not required to sit for 131 days, which amounts to over four months.
The Senator, who said she was encouraged by the late Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) Chief Bola Ige (SAN) to join politics, urged the women lawyers to build their careers before venturing into politics.
“Is being a politician a career? I see people who say they are politicians when asked what their career is. They will say ‘I am a politician’. We have to change the narrative,” Danjuma said.
She stressed the need for time management, saying it was a key requirement for success.
According to her, despite her busy schedule, she made time to cook for her family and never saw it as a chore.
“You must learn how to manage your time. I love cooking. I come from work, I remove my jacket and I’m in the kitchen.
“A friend once said I was too big to be removing the jacket and entering the kitchen to cook after work. I made sure I cooked myself.
“I enjoyed it, so it was not stressful for me. Some would say: ‘I don’t cook.’ That’s rubbish. I don’t admire women who don’t cook,” she said.
Danjuma said she receives support from her husband, Gen. Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, in her career because she also works to build a peaceful home and cooks good food for him.
“I give my husband good food; I look after the home, so why should he not encourage me?” Sen. Danjuma asked.
The senator said one of Nigeria’s major growth constraints was policy inconsistency.
“Stable policies attract foreign investment. Some are scared to invest due to policy inconsistencies, so we need good leadership,” she said.
She also stressed the need for adherence to the rule of law.
Danjuma said: “Anybody who errs should be punished. People should not do things and get away with it.”
Responding to a question during an interactive session, the former lawmaker said she was never intimidated or sexually harassed by her male counterparts because she was confident in herself.
“I never experienced any harassment. I don’t suffer fools gladly. I would tell you off immediately.
“Build your self-esteem so no one takes advantage of you,” she advised the lawyers.
Danjuma also urged them to stay humble and not let success get into their heads.
She advised the married ones to submit to their husbands even if they earn more, as some men discourage their wives from working because they fear they would be disrespected.
She said some women become inaccessible when they make little money, saying it is wrong.
For instance, she said she picked up all her calls herself and never allowed any aide to receive her calls on her behalf, even while she was in the Senate.
She also does not understand why some women would let aides carry their handbags. “Why don’t they carry your shoes too?” she joked.
Danjuma said more political and decision-making roles should be given to capable women.
“All the countries that have succeeded have many women in their cabinets,” she said.
NBA Women Forum Chairperson, Mrs Chinyere Okorocha, said the mentorship session was organised to inspire women lawyers.
“We want to give ourselves the tools to thrive. Some of us don’t get as far as we want, so we want to tap from the wisdom Senator Danjuma has garnered.
“She has done what most of us aspire to,” Okorocha said.
At the event were many women lawyers, including Mrs Funke Adekoya (SAN).
