I don’t have time for Abuja girls. says Senator Akanbi

A member of the Senate representing Oyo-South Senatorial District, Senator Adesoji Akanbi, tells LEKE BAIYEWU about his life outside the chamber

Did you ever have the aspiration of becoming a lawmaker in the National Assembly?

Yes, I did. I was once a member of the House of Representatives in the aborted Third Republic. This is not my first experience but this is like a fuller, more competitive, more energy sapping and more of a serious assignment than that period. Ever since then (Third Republic), I have been nursing the ambition and intention to serve my people at this level.

 You said it is “energy sapping” but many Nigerians believe that senators earn far more than they do. Is this not true?

We always spend the early part of our days in the chamber, from 10am to 2pm or 3pm. After plenary, each of us may attend between two and three committee meetings, and that means one may not leave the National Assembly Complex until about 7pm. And by the time you get home, you have to prepare for the next day. Except you want to be a dormant senator, you have to prepare for the next day.

Apart from that, how will you be a member of a committee and you are about to go out for an oversight visit and you won’t prepare yourself? You have to prepare yourself. If you want to be a successful and effective lawmaker, you have to read a lot, do your research and be deep; you have to make a lot of consultations because you might end up being in a committee or a sector you were not familiar with before you came to the National Assembly. Personally, I won’t feel comfortable to be in a gathering, meeting, session or on an oversight duty without making a substantial contribution. And you can’t do that in this place if you are lazy.

There is also a perception that most male lawmakers in Abuja, because of their money and influence, are socialites who love women. In which category do you fall?

It is a no for me. My personal experience is that after getting home, I say my prayers and I don’t go out anymore. I have one of my aides who stays with me. After eating, we will move into the library to spend one or two hours everyday to prepare for the next day. Whoever is doing that (socialising), I wonder where they have the time to do such. Most of the time, I get home between 7pm and 8pm. After eating, we move into the library till around 10pm or 11pm; we look through our notes to prepare for the next day.

I don’t want to be a dormant lawmaker. There were several new terrains I wasn’t familiar with before becoming a senator. I was in the gas sector before becoming a senator but I’m now on the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Gas). Go and check my performance on the committee, you will think that I have been a gas expert for decades. I had to go and do a research on gas.

Being a senator, many of your constituents believe that you’re rich. How do you manage those who besiege your office, seeking financial and other kinds of assistance?

My understanding is that at this present moment, there is recession. I always grant audience to most of those coming from my constituency. Even if I can’t do all they want, I always try to do my best because most of their requests are genuine, I won’t lie to you.

What kind of requests?

A lot of them have lost their jobs; a lot of the unemployed cannot find jobs; the businesses of some them are down. We all know what is going on in this country. There is a high inflation and there is no money in the economy. I always take their cases individually. I only try to do my best. I hardly turn down people because I know that most of their requests are genuine and I sincerely look into them.

How are you coping with your family considering your tight schedule?

Actually it is not too easy but I am well coordinated. All my children are in the university. One of them has graduated and completed his master’s degree programme. This made it easier for my wife to relocate from Ibadan to join me in Abuja. Luckily for us, we have our private business  office in Abuja which we opened about 10 years ago. So, it is easy for my wife to go to the office and work there. Before my election, I was doing business in the aviation sector and my wife was working with me, that is why it was easier for her to relocate and stay with me in Abuja now. The only thing is that I have to travel frequently to Ibadan so that I can attend to the needs of my constituents because I always love to stay connected with them since that was the pledge I made to them during my campaigns.

Both of us shuttle between Abuja and Ibadan. My wife also travels to Lagos because she has to oversee the affairs of our office there too.

What do you do at your leisure time?

Do I even have a leisure period? Anyway I am a football fan so I watch football a lot on television especially on Saturdays when I am free. I also do a little exercise within my compound.

What is your favourite football team?

My favourite teams are Shooting Stars Sport Club and Manchester United.

What has been your greatest challenge since the inauguration of the Eight Assembly?

My greatest challenge is managing the people from my constituency but I am trying to meet  their demands.

Now that you work late in the office, how do you cope with female admirers who are all over the National Assembly?

I don’t even notice them. I don’t have time for them. I am too pre-occupied with the national assignment which I have been elected to do. So, I don’t see those girls, I don’t notice them at all.