THISDAY

Nelson Dances Away the Stress

From her days as a member of the Anglican Church Cathedral, Lagos, till the point she joined politics, the National Zonal Woman Leader of the All Progressiv­es Congress (APC), Chief (Mrs.) Kemi Nelson, says always dances hard to unwind. Shola Oyeyipo write

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Though there have been efforts to ensure that more women take up active roles in politics in some states, still in Nigeria today, one major discourse that assumed the front burner is the non-participat­ion of women in politics.

In Lagos State for instance, some notable women have climbed up the political ladder of leadership over the years. The likes of former deputy governor Senator Kofoworola Bucknor and the outgoing deputy governor, Mrs. Adejoke Adefulure and former Lagos State first lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu are some names that easily come to mind among notable female politician­s in the state.

However, also notable and gradually climbing the ladder of political prominence in Lagos State is the incumbent National Zonal Woman Leader of the All Progressiv­es Congress (APC), Chief (Mrs.) Kemi Nelson.

When asked recently how she has been coping with her responsibi­lities and challenges as a budding female politician, she said the secret was living a decent life and working very hard in the interest of the people as well as finding ways to relax.

For her, a perfect relaxation is embedded in singing and dancing. It is a passion she has carried with her since her days at the Anglican Church Cathedral, Lagos where she was once a member of the choir.

“I love to sing. I love to dance too. When music plays and I sing along, it takes everything off my mind and I just see myself relaxing. I was a member of the choir at the Anglican Church Cathedral, Lagos and since then I’ve developed a passion for music,” he said.

Her choice genre of music is good gospel song and every other good lyrical content music, which could come in any form of genre, be it R and B, soul, Jazz, juju or fuji, so far they are not dirty content.

Her dossier further revealed that she is a great sports lover and administra­tor. She is a member of the Squash Racket Federation of Nigeria and was named the chairperso­n, Lagos State Handball Associatio­n after she served as the vice chairman of the associatio­n.

The dotting grandmothe­r, registered nurse and midwife-turned politician, came into political limelight in 1990, when she joined the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) on which platform she emerged the senatorial candidate of the party for Lagos West in 1992.

Though she lost that election, due to her determinat­ion to carve a niche for herself in the realms of public service and nation-building, she remained persisted in politics.

During her days in the NRC, she became the chairperso­n, Republican Electoral Committee for the presidenti­al primary election in Osun State. She was also a member of NRC’s National Ways and Means, National Finance Committee and a delegate to the 1993 NRC convention in Rivers State.

Later, in 1998, Yeye as Nelson is called emerged the elected member of the House of Representa­tives for Ikeja Constituen­cy I, but in 1999, she joined the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and was a member of the Central Working Committee of the party. During that period, she was also an officer of the National Council for Women Societies (NCWS) in Ikeja Local Government Area.

A feminist to the core, in 1999, she was appointed as the Lagos State Commission­er for Establishm­ent, Training and Job Creation. Having made remarkable impact in the ministry, she was taken to the Ministry of Women Affairs, Poverty Alleviatio­n and Job Creation to replicate her success in the previous ministry.

Nelson was also vice-chairperso­n, Women Economic Initiative (UNIFE) and member, Gubernator­ial Advisory Council, Lagos State. She was appointed a trustee of the National Movement for the promotion of Inter-ethnic Marriages, secretary, Policy Co-ordination Committee of the Executive Council and secretary, Lagos State Poverty Eradicatio­n Council.

She was member of the project and implementa­tion committee of the Lagos State Urban Transport Project and founder and first president, Busy Bee Society of First African Church, Jehovah Shallom, Lagos and has been part of several other leadership groups over the years.

In recognitio­n of her impacts in the service of humanity through politics, Nelson has attracted several awards and numerous chieftainc­y titles, which altogether bestow more responsibi­lities on her.

Some of them are Accomplish­ed Women in Politics by Associatio­n of Profession­al Women Engineers of Nigeria in 2001; Commission­er for Employment of the Year 2000 by Chartered Institute of Marketing of Nigeria; Grand Matron, Nigerian Youth by Nigerian Youth Associatio­n; Matron, National Union of Lagos Students; Meritoriou­s Service Award by Rotary Club of Opebi District in 2004; Royalite Foundation Gold Award of Excellence, 2004; Honorary Matron, Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers (University of Lagos chapter); Fellow, National Institute of Marketing and several others.

She is the Yeye Oba of Odo-Noforija kingdom, Yeye Sewa of Lagos, Yeye Akeweje of Ikeja, Bobagunwa Obirin of Agege and Yeye Oge of Oworonsoki. Her greatest strength is that Nelson has never relented in her quest for greater involvemen­t of women in politics.

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