He
Called me Ashawo
By
ERIC OSAGIE and JAMES OJO, Abuja
Saturday,
November 6, 2004 The Sun
GUILTY WITH REASON! Hon. Iquo Inyang, suspended from the House of
Representatives for slapping her male colleague, says any woman in her position
would have done likewise.
She tells Saturday Sun why she slapped Hon. Bwacha as well as some of the
unprintable things she could not get herself to tell other lawmakers.
You are dead wrong if you think or believe that the female honourable member
in the House of Representatives who dazed her male colleague will be full of
shame or embarrassment over the
unfortunate incident. Sorry, she is not.
If anything, Hon. Iquo Inyang says there is nothing to be ashamed of in what
happened.
"I don�t feel embarrassed at all," the lady
at the centre of the storm tells Saturday Sun in an exclusive interview at her
residence at the Apo legislative
quarters.
" That [slapping the honourable member] was a way of expressing myself. I cannot feel embarrassed at all."
The 39-year-old lady made sensational headline recently when she slapped her
male colleague, Hon. Emmanuel Bwacha, after a disagreement over constituency
projects.
The nation promptly rose as one in condemnation of the conduct, which they
described as "uncivilised and indecorous."
The House and its leadership also promptly slammed a suspension on her as
punishment for her legislative slap, while it asked the Ethics Committee to
look into the issue, even after she apologised for her action which she blamed
on tension resulting from the death of her father.
But just when you are beginning to think that the lady would hide herself in
embarrassment, Hon. Iquo comes smoking fire, insisting
that she had good reason to give the honourable member a dirty slap.
Spotting a sleeveless top and sports pants [shorts], Iquo says her colleague
called her a slut and she couldn�t take the insult,
coupled with his other excesses.
�He used certain words against me. Very derogatory words.
He sort of called me a slut [Ashawo] and I didn�t
feel I belong to that category�.
Married at the young age of 18, Iquo, a mother of three [the eldest is about to
graduate] has been separated and divorced in the past seven years.
She took us into her world: her life as a lawyer and successful business woman,
her collapsed marriage, her life as a law maker, her general philosophy of life
and why she slapped her colleague.
A friendly lady, Iquo takes nonsense from no one, especially if she believes
she is on the right path.
And if she has to express herself with her fist, she isn�t
going to go home sulking even if the whole world is shouting blue murder.
According to her, "it has happened and that�s
it. I have moved on with my life."
This is a story straight from the horse�s mouth�
My name is Hon. Iquo Nyong
Inyang. I represent Ikono Federal Constituency of Akwa Ibom State in the House
of Representatives.
When were you born and which schools did you attend?
I was born some 39 years ago, September 1965. I obtained my primary education
at Calabar
Preparatory International
School,
from there I left for the FGGC, Abuloma, Port
Harcourt; finished in 1982,
stayed with my mother�s company. It was a contracting
outfit.
Since I developed interest in Law, I used to read books while staying in the
office, hoping to get admission. In 1986, I was admitted to read Law at the
University of Cross River State, now University
of Uyo.
I graduated in 1990, went to Law
School.
I couldn�t proceed to Law
School
immediately because I had all my children when I was in University, really. I
was called to the Bar in 1993, I think June.
How did you combine studies with having children?
I had my first child in 1986 during my first year. In my second year, I had my
first son, and I had my last born in 1989, that was when I was almost rounding
off.
What was growing up like, how many of you in the family?
We are 12, my father�s first wife died. My mother has
eight of us, four boys, four girls.
What was it like growing up among boys. Were you a
tomboy?
The normal setting. We all struggled to go to school,
everybody. My father put it down that all of us must go to school. No much room
for laxity, you have to go to school, read and make good grade. Everybody in my
family is a graduate, even our last born has his
second degree in Geology.
I was just like any other kid. There was nothing special, no preferential
treatment. I just did the general things a kid would do. In secondary school, I
was into sports. I played Badminton for River
State.
My doubles partner became West African champion.
You abandoned him?
Well, you know the school kind of thing. After that, I started having babies,
so there was nothing really special.
What happened after your university education? Did you delve into politics
full blast?
No, I don�t think it followed like that. After
reading Law, I was posted to Ede
in Osun state. I worked with the firm of Kanu Agabi & Co, the former
Attorney-General of the Federation, he is from Cross
River.
After about a year or so plus, I decided to set up my own firm.
What is it called?
Minima and Associates, and we have an office in
Calabar and Port Harcourt.
We have several lawyers working in the firm. I have managed the company and it
has been growing from strength to strength. We have as major retainers most of
the major banks in the country, we are retainers for the National Maritime
Authority, NPA, and other foreign companies. We are really into estate and
property and we have a lot in the kitty, we buy and sell distressed houses.
Where did you get the political bug? Does it run in your family or what?
My father was a chartered accountant, he is late now. He trained at the London
School of Economics. He served in the public sector, retired and went home till
he died recently. He was to be made the clan head of our community,
he was to be made a paramount ruler.
But God did not want that to be, he is dead.
So, what fired the political interest?
Basically, I felt I should give it a try. While in school, I was only
interested in reading and I felt I should be doing my legal work. But it was
when I felt I have had enough, and I was still very young, I have got many
properties to manage. I manage all maritime property in the whole of South
East. I felt I have done all I need to do in the area of Law. So, I decided to
do something else and each time I went home, I saw my people, they were so
backward and it became shameful to say I came from that community. So, I felt I
should give it a shot, that I can be of assistance to
my community. My community only had light with my arrival at the National
Assembly.
How did you put up structures to win election into the National Assembly
because politics is not that you just come one day and win an election?
The general thing is for people to tell stories and get a position. I just went
there, I told them I don�t have any story to tell,
what I know is that when I get there I will certainly change your life and
people said let�s try this woman and that was how
they gave me the mandate and I can tell you that if I go for election again
today, they will vote me.
Really?
Yes, it is a matter of trust. They repose so much trust in me, they believe
that when I set out to achieve what I say I will achieve, I will do it and this
is why on any issue affecting my constituency, I will go to all length to
fulfill it.
How was your experience in the House during your first term?
It was very good in the first term.
Is it better now?
I was able to achieve much in the first term. I was able to put up a lot of
projects. It may be too early in this tenure to predict but I believe that I
have put more in place in the first one year of the first tenure than now. I
put in some projects in the supplementary budget in 1999, the budget of 2000
and 2001, all of which were implemented in my constituency. It was to my credit
we have the zonal police headquarter in Calabar, we have several policebarracks
and several indigenes enlisted in the force.
Hon. Abdulkarim Saliu was the first chairman [of the police affairs committee.]
We get on very well. He was here to pay condolence visit on the death of my
father, he promised to be at the burial. Following him was Hon. Abdullahi
Gumel. This tenure we have only had Hon. Emmanuel Bwacha [the man she slapped].
I have been deputy chairman since 1999.
I think the major problem I had with Bwacha was that I felt shortchanged in the
way he handled inclusions from my constituency in the year 2004 budget. I felt
cheated because he removed all the imput from my constituency. I don�t know why he did that. He projected his own. I saw the
same scenario playing itself out again. At the same time for our nationwide
tour, we came back all my inputs were deleted at the harmonisation stage. He
was a member and I just felt he should have protected my inputs. He did not.
Whereas he protected his own, and now I saw the same scenario, by the way he
insisted that I will not go to my area, that is really what happened and I
snapped.
And you slapped him? Tell me, was it the first time you will slap a man?
Yes.
Before now, you had never, ever?
Never, ever
Was it the first time you will get into a fight with anybody?
How can you say that? Anybody can fight. When we were children, we fought...
Are you a highly temperamental person?
Not really, you can ask my other colleagues[in the
House of Reps.] I am a naturally quiet person.
But you snapped and slapped your colleague. How does it make you feel now? Don�t you feel embarrassed that you did that?
Well, anybody can do it...
Do you call it your own five minutes of madness? Everybody, psychologists
say, has five minutes of madness everyday?
No. But when you push anybody to the wall, that person would fight back. The
manner and the type of expression he used on me was�. In parliaments all over
the world, such a thing[slapping and fighting] do
happen.
When you got home that night, you saw the backlash of your action. There was
the press attention, phone calls and everything. Does that make you a national
celebrity?
Really, it is not something one should be proud of.
But it has happened, it happened and I have apologised. I have spoken, he too
has spoken. He used certain words against me. Very derogatory.
Did he use derogatory words like calling you a whore or slut?
He referred to me as � the type� that does certain things.
Did he mean a slut or what?
Yes, sort of. I didn�t think I fell into that
category.
You believe what he called you is stronger than the slap you gave him?
When we appeared before the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges, he talked
about his eye glasses that was shattered and something like that. And I told
him � I can sue you for slander or defamation of character.� So, it is
you-lose-and-I-lose kind of thing. I told him there was no need of talking
about sun glasses.
Now, here you are everybody is calling you different names as a result of
your action. Tell me how you really feel? Like hell, I guess?
But I was trying to protect my constituency project. Even my people wanted to
come and meet the speaker to tell him that the man[Bwacha]
did not want any project for them. They wanted to come the day after. But I said
I will handle the matter. Now, it is to monitor that project and make sure I
have input because if I did not have input, the community would suffer for two
years, that is it.
So you were not fighting for money for your pocket?
Money from who? No, I�m fighting
for my community.
What is your view about Nigerian men?
[Laughs] People are different, their behaviour has to do with background, tribe, culture etc.
Sincerely, the men have this chauvinist tendency. Because, I did not expect my
chairman to look down on me and say what he said like saying �I have one of you
in my house.� No, I tell him you don�t have my type!
It can�t be my type. That is the way they see it,
like �this is an ordinary woman.� This is the kind of impression that they have
about us, forgetting that all of us have come out here to do a job.
You heard about how Senator Iyabo Anisulowo was slapped by another
colleague?
The issue to look at here is that the background of
individuals are different. I understand that Senator Isa Mohammed was a
former military governor or somebody in the public glare. I am not trying to
say that� But we must understand where we are coming
from.
Isa may have felt insulted by the lady, but we all came here, one of the
qualifications is that we must all be of sound mind. There is no crazy person
here to think that�
Are you saying there are people of unsound mind in the National Assembly?
No. What I am saying is that there is no people of
unsound mind in the National Assembly. What I am saying is that momentarily something
might have happened and the man felt that it was insulting,
you know that men have different ways of looking at us.
Like �what is this ordinary woman talking about?�
Somebody told me today that all Senators and Honourable members in the
country should go for psychiatric test, do you agree?
What is wrong with that?
Do you agree?
Yes, why not? Like somebody suggested in Lagos,
that all drivers should go for psychiatric test.
There is nothing wrong if all legislators go for psychiatric test?
Absolutely nothing, nothing is wrong with it.
When you are not making laws, what do you do?
I am not an outgoing person, I do not socialise much.
I got married at a very early age.
What age?
18 years. I had my daughter when I was just 18 even though my dad was not all
that very happy with me at the time but he later agreed when he knew I was
serious.
Why the rush?
I don�t know but that was just it. The man I married
too is very a quiet man. He doesn�t socialize much,
he doesn�t drink, in our home, alcohol was for the
visitors. This is the kind of life I lived and it has rubbed off on me up till
now. If I close from my office, I go home straight. When I put on weight, I
started doing exercise. I had some injury sometime ago. Really, I did not grow
up socializing . I just watch TV and read a lot of
books.
When this incident happened, many people didn�t
know how to address you. Some say Iquo Minima, while others said Inyang. what happened along the line?
Well, I was married to Chief Minima. We got separated and later divorced. It
was very recently. We were separated for a very long time. I changed my name.
People are used to calling me Minima.
Are you re-married now?
No
You are just taking things easy, taking care of the children?
Yes, we were separated for seven years and we just got divorced recently. But
it will surprise you that we are still good friends and people are even saying
why the separation? I don�t see anything to quarrel
about. Really, it is a matter of choice in such a situation one finds oneself.
But life must continue and I get along. It is not what one bargained for, but
when it happens, one will just have to accept it and life must go on.
What is your attitude to life, what does life mean to you?
Take things as you see them because there are certain things that happen to you
and you don�t have control over them. All I know is
that I am a believer in predestination. I don’t believe things happen by
chance. I believe that life is programmed from the day you are born, what you
will become, I believe that everything that will affect your life, are bound to
happen. They are programmed like that. So, I accept things I cannot change,
like the divorce. The level one attained in life is programmed, like the
positions of speaker, deputy speaker and so on. I believe that they have been
destined.
Do you wish the slapping scandal never happened?
All I wish is that we had a better way of agreeing on the project issue without
resorting to what happened, but be that as it may, I think everybody has learnt
a lesson and I believe that those that have listened to us have now realised
who had been cheated or not.
Do you hope to get justice at the end of the day?
Yes, that is what I deserve.
I want you to chose one word to describe what
happened. You feel ashamed, embarrassed or just regret and remorse, which one
applies to you?
None
You don�t feel ashamed?
No.
Embarrassed?
I don�t feel embarrassed at all. That was a way of
expressing myself, I cannot feel embarrassed at all.
And you are moving on?
I have to. Life must continue.
Biafra Nigeria World
