Rafiat Atanda is a corporate communication practitioner, member and spokesperson of the European Union Youth Sounding Board (EU YSB) in Nigeria; a 2020/2021 ONE Champion, and a Carrington Youth Fellowship Alumnae. She was recently awarded the US Consul General’s Award for her humanitarian work. In this interview by KINGSLEY ALUMONA, she speaks about the Consul Award, her humanitarian work, youth and women advocacy, and what the hijab means to her career.
What inspired your passion for youth and women advocacy?
Nigeria has a population of over 200 million people, with youth and women taking the highest percentage. Unfortunately, these numbers are mere statistics that do not translate to shared prosperity. They experience the highest level of marginalisation and mainstreaming, and their resourcefulness is not properly harnessed.
Youth and women can help us achieve transformational change. With their concerted efforts, as a country, we can move from lack to abundance. I’m angry that the country isn’t well positioned for them to take today, let alone build for tomorrow. A lot are merely surviving when they should be living their dreams and fulfilling their aspirations. This is why I advocate for them.
So far, it’s been an interesting but challenging ride. The weaponisation and feminisation of poverty impacts youth and women the most. So, enlightening them about shunning electoral violence and vote inducement, for instance, requires diplomacy. Otherwise, they may turn deaf ears to your message.
You are the spokesperson of the European Union Youth Sounding Board (EU YSB) in Nigeria. What is EU YSB about?
The European Union Youth Sounding Board (EU YSB) is an initiative of the EU that aims to create a space for meaningful involvement of young people in the EU’s partnership with Nigeria. It is enabling active engagement and exchanges between the YSB, decision-makers, the EU delegation and its member states. Twenty-five vibrant and diverse changemakers are youth advisors to the EU in Nigeria. We engage youth in our communities and advise, inform, influence and monitor EU’s interventions in Nigeria from young people’s standpoints.
You were recently awarded the US Consul General’s Award. What is the award about and why was it awarded to you?
The US Consul General’s Award is given to the best Carrington Youth Fellow of the year for their commitment, passion, teamwork and creativity. I would say I got the award because I displayed an uncanny level of the aforementioned qualities. I covered somewhat long kilometres every month to attend the knowledge-sharing sessions. I signed up for it anyway and out of fairness to myself and the over 1000 applicants that weren’t selected, it was important that I gave it what was required.
Plus, despite my 9 – 5, I dedicated reasonable amount of time towards the successful execution of my team’s (Civil Liberties) project ‘Juvenile Justice’ which focused on equipping 50 juveniles at the Lagos Correctional Facility for Boys in Oregun, Lagos with digital skills as well as a stakeholders’ roundtable discussion on the challenges facing juveniles and the establishment of a policy reform process with NIGAC.
Also, other fellows found me valuable, as I was open to listen to their projects and offer to help when necessary. It was really a burning desire to re-imagine an equitably sustainable world.
For context, the Carrington Youth Fellowship Initiative (CYFI) is a dynamic youth-based initiative launched in 2011 by the US Consulate General, Lagos. CYFI brings together Nigerian youth of exceptional vision, skills, and experience to design and implement projects that are having a positive impact on the Nigerian society. The inspiration for CYFI was of former Ambassador Walter Carrington, a champion of civil liberties and democracy, to build closer ties between the US and Nigeria.
How does the award make you feel and how would it influence your career?
I feel really honoured and motivated to keep staying true to what I believe in; deepening my commitment to causes I’m passionate about; innovating for a saner and prosperous world; collaborating to scale impact and building connections that matter.
When I started my fellowship year, I just wanted to do great work, have fun and leave an incredibly unforgettable impression of me. It’s absolutely awesome to see that the things I did translated to being awarded ‘The Fellow of the Year’.
The award will influence my work and career a great deal. For the most part, my advocacy has been on issues affecting youth and women. Working on Juvenile Justice, however, has exposed me to the lacuna in the correctional facility and borstal institutions; as well as the level of attention that must be paid to the youngsters.
I visited the borstal institution in Abeokuta and was moved to tears. An institution that should serve as a rehabilitation center is a shadow of itself. With a population of over 300, the institution experiences a dearth of essential facilities. A well that may dry off during dry season because of the rockiness of Abeokuta serves everyone. Their sick bay, library and hostels are nothing to write home about. These juveniles deserve better living conditions because our inability to give them adequate care means we are sitting on a ticking time bomb.
With this experience, I intend to expand my advocacy to include talking about these juveniles who may have been victims of circumstance. Frankly, if we ignore them today, they will likely become security threats to the nation in the future.
Apart from the Consul General’s Award, which other awards and fellowships have you won? And do you see yourself winning more awards in the future?
This is officially my first award as a social impact maker and I’m super excited it’s a big one. It shows progress, and it’s a strong validation that I do great work. Plus, it’s a reminder to me that “it doesn’t have to be this or that, when it can be this and that.” I can be a badass corporate practitioner and an award-winning social impact maker. I’m also a member and spokesperson of the European Union Youth Sounding Board in Nigeria; a 2020/2021 ONE Champion; and Margaret Ekpo Fellow.
On winning more awards, I definitely look forward to winning as many awards as possible. Sometimes, when I feel de-motivated, I want them to remind me of the strength, passion and commitment that I possess. I want every girl, especially one who embodies multiple identities like me, to take a look and be inspired. The words “I am not invisible; I belong here and I matter” should echo in her head.
So, yes to more impactful awards.
You moderated a social media event tagged ‘23 years down the line: Does our democracy `have a value?’ in commemoration of the Democracy Day. What was the major take home from that session?
Yes, it was my first time moderating on Twitter space and I killed it. The feedback confirmed it. I engaged Mr Samson Itodo, Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, on the European Union Youth Sounding Board in Nigeria’s space and here are some takeaways: One, we can’t let the worst of us lead the rest of us. So, it’s important that we scrutinise those we are voting to represent us. Secondly, young people must shun tokenism and raise the bar. Critically, we must ask ourselves: Why are we participating? Who are we voting? Thirdly, governance is a journey and not a destination. Young people must equip themselves with resources that will help them demand a country that works for them, even after elections. Finally, the EU is giving great support to individuals and civil societies to promote democracy and good governance in Nigeria.
As someone who works in youth and leadership spaces, what can you say about Nigerian youths’ sudden online advocacy for Peter Obi presidential aspiration?
I consider it a much-needed revolution. Every time young people don’t get involved in governance, they gamble their future away. It’s laudable that young people have chosen to leverage the power that they have and decide their future. Their show of solidarity and awakened political consciousness is amazing. I hope that the advocacy online translates to significant numbers at the polls. I also hope it’s sustained even after the elections, because elections are mere events and our activities in demanding accountability and transparency afterwards will determine how well we will enjoy the dividends of democracy.
You regard yourself as a communication chic and an ‘HijabiPresenter’. How has attaching the hijab to your brand helped your work and your public image?
Growing up in a semi-urban community in Lagos, I yearned for an anchor and an inclusive representation. It was tough, given the peculiarity of my environment and the discrimination faced by covered Muslim women. Thankfully, I came across Dr Ibipo Salam on “The Debaters” and her disposition and brilliance corroborated my resolve to start using the hijab. I love presenting, and the hijab is an identity I wear with pride. When I wanted to start presenting as a side hustle, I looked out for ‘HijabiPresenters’ in Nigeria who host religious and secular programmes, but didn’t find any. I felt bad about this because with a mentor, anyone would move to the ladder of success easily. Since I couldn’t find a ‘standard’, I decided to become the standard ― although, learning from others.
I want that girl who wears multiple identities like me to do so with pride, and to understand that she can make the world overlook her identities and take a chance on her because of her capability.
Undoubtedly, I face challenges with the identities wrapped in me. Some persons have had to drop me off presenting gigs and other opportunities because of my hijab. Similarly, I’ve been lucky to have some like Princess Aderemi Adebowale, SA to Governor Sanwo-Olu on Civic Engagement; Lola Egboh; etc. who took a chance on me and gave me the extra wings to fly.
My image is better enhanced with the hijab, as I double as a corporate communications practitioner. Each time you see me in my element, you see a smart, professionally dressed, well articulated and intelligent lady.
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