'I'm done with politics because I don't have money to throw away'

What was it like when you ran for House of Reps in Cross River State?

It was quite an experience. I must enjoin everyone. Every Nigerian must be actively involved in politics. You must go and register in one party or the other.

You need to. Because if you are not inside, you will never, never be able to effect any change. And this is a fact.

We are just sitting on social media, twitter, yap yap yap…haan..haan.haan…but when it comes down to brass tacks, when it comes down to the nitty gritty, you don’t have your voters card, you can’t vote, you are just sitting, talking. Things will move on without you because those that make the decisions are the ones that people vote for.

So you have to go and make your presence felt. Literally.

A lot of young people are saying ‘Oh, they should give us a chance. You think they’ll come to your house and say Oya come O! No!

You have to be on ground. You have to make things work. Apart from talking, you have to be active. On the polling booth, if they are doing it, watch them with your eyes. Count everything. Follow them to where they are doing everything. Every Nigerian, it’s our responsibility.

Else we’ll just wake up one day and then ….

How do you think we can stop this whole abduction of schoolgirls?

We need leaders, lawmakers who care and citizens who remind them why they are there. You are there at the behest of the citizens. You didn’t go there on your own. People sent you there. So, you are there to represent them in the best way possible.

So, it’s not for you to go and do your own. You are earning N13.7million a month! One person! Minus all the etcheterams. All the allawee and all; and then the minimum wage for civil servants is N18,000. What can N18,000 do in these times? Nothing.

So people are going to look for other means. You need to get rid of poverty. That way everyone will be willing to work hard. You need to make the environment conducive. Let us have light at least. Just give us light. Nigerians are very hardworking. They will work till their bone breaks. Give us light.

Give us an environment where we can thrive and we’ll do the rest for ourselves. We have been doing it any way.

Do you have plans to run for political office again?

I don’t have money to give anybody. Politics is a money thing and I am saying this from experience. Anyone that tells you it isn’t about money is telling you a lie.

It’s either money or you have somebody who will say this is the person you’ll vote for because that’s how it works!

They buy PVC, they get underage children to vote. We are just here in Lagos, Calabar, Port Harcourt. Okay!

I don’t have money to give anybody. The money I used was mine! A few friends came together, supported me, put some money, but the majority of the money I used without any bargain was mine and I work hard. I am not a contractor.

I don’t have money to throw away. Yeah!

How do you think we can get more women involved in politics?

Money…money…money.

One money, two we need to be able to support women. Women are over 50 percent of the Nigerian population and we have 200 million, so let’s just say we have 100 million women.

You heard what that House of Reps guy was saying? He said don’t give women too much power. He has already told you. Look at Rwanda. Over 60 percent in the House are women. Cleanest country. Cleanest. Safest. Because women are there.

We are women. We care. Nurture. I am not talking about the ones that go there and they go and chop money. Change their colour. Change their weave-on. Buy jewelry.

Look after people. Women care. Women are hardworking. Women multi-task. Women have the power. If we support a fellow woman, a good woman, there will be a difference.

Right now, there’s no women representation in our politics. We have maybe only four percent. Four! So if ninety six percent are talking, what will your four percent do? It can’t make any difference at all.

We need affirmative action, we need to make sure that if you are coming to ask for votes, who are the women running in there? That’s how we are going to make that change.

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*Kate Henshaw lost the primaries to represent Calabar South Federal Constituency of Cross River State in the House of Representatives, in December of 2014.

She ran on the platform of the which is the dominant political platform in Cross River State.