Twenty six year old female House of Assembly-elect in Kwara State ,Miss Rukayat Shittu has said that her ambition was to become the first elected Nigeria female President in ten years.
She emerged the winner of Owode/Onire Constituency election in Asa local government area of Kwara State.
Shittu,who spoke on a Television programme aired by TVC,said politics was not a strange terrain for her ,as she had involved actively in campus politics over the years.
She expressed joy that gender mainstreaming was gaining relevance with her electoral victory.
The member of the All Progressives Congress (APC),urged her fellow gender to show more interest in politics and take up leadership task as she is prepared to support and mentor them.
Rukayat said the journey to victory was tough as her candidature was challenged in court she however expressed gratitude to God that her efforts and determination paid off .
” I thank God Almighty for my victory st the poll ,even though it was not an easy one .I fought within and outside my political party to get to where I am today .And I want to thank the people of my Constituency for believing in me and standing by me too.
” I am not a diaspora politician ,I live with my people. So,I interact with them regularly and intimately too.Part of my agenda is to give them robust representation and encourage as many women and girls to also get involved in politics. Some people are saying that politics is a dirty game, I dont share this sentiment.Every profession or art has its challenges .
“My vision is to become the first elected female President in Nigeria.I will work towards it and leave everything in the hand of my creator and divider of my destiny “Shittu said .
She also attributed her success story to the enabling environment created by the administration of governor of Kwara State, Abdur-Rahman AbdulRasaq.
She attended Baptist Local Government Area Primary School and later Government Day Secondary School in Oku-Ire in Ilorin.She proceeded to Kwara State College of Islamic and Legal Studies where she obtained a diploma in Mass Communication and Islamic Studies.
She graduated from the National Open University of Nigeria. During her undergraduate days, she was a students representative.
Shittu was the first female Senate President of the Congress of Open University of Nigeria, and Publicity Secretary for a pro-democracy group, Kwara Must Change.