Ifasina Efunyemi Confident That She Will Become the Next B.N.T.U. President
Efunyemi was also asked about her preparedness to sit at the table with government officials, as well as her ability to rally the support of her members. In response, she told us that she brings a wealth of experience and knowledge gathered over the past decade, through her involvement in union matters. Efunyemi says politicians are fully cognizant that she is a force to be reckoned with.
Ifasina Efunyemi, B.N.T.U. National President Candidate
“I had gotten a fellowship, a UN fellowship as a matter of fact. So I’ve spoken at the UN. I’ve been given the opportunity to negotiate at that level. I’ve given, been given practical experience in being in a negotiating room and speaking to diplomats and speaking to people who are in decision making positions. And what I bring to the table is a formidable force. I am sure that every leader of government, anyone who is in power right now, when they see me, they know this is someone to take seriously. This is not a marshmallow you’re going to see when you go into that negotiating room. I’m there for the people that I represent. I want to get this message out there to our people, the government, the people we put in office who are custodians of our tax dollars, our employers, as a matter of fact, because our twenty-five percent comes out for sure, and that is what they are able to spend. That’s what pays for all their allowances. So actually they work for us. It’s not the other way around. They work for us, so I’m there to make sure there’s a balance so they do not take advantage of their positions, because we have a social contract, we have given up a little bit. So we allow them to make decisions on our behalf, and I’m just there to be the check and. So they will have nothing to worry about. We’re all in this together. As long as they’re doing their job, they’ll be fine because I’ll be doing mine as the president of the BNTU.”