Dr Annah Afolabi is a woman of many parts. She is an entrepreneur, the vice lay president of Ibadan Province of the African Church of Nigeria, and wife of the late politician, and former Minister of Internal Affairs, Chief S.M Afolabi. In this interview by TAYO GESINDE, she speaks about the need for Nigerian women to unite and support one other so as to have more women come out victorious in the 2023 general elections, why government should have a roundtable discussion on the way forward for Nigeria, among other issues. Excerpts.
You used to be very active on the social scene but these days, you are not active again. What is responsible for your withdrawal?
Even the Bible says that there is a time and season for everything. One is getting older, so one needs to relax and take things easy instead of jumping up and down. I spend most of my time in the house of God now, doing things that I enjoy, especially now that I have a role to play in the house of God. I got the role without lobbying for it, so for me, it is a call to serve God and that is why I am giving it my best shot. Although, I spend more time doing things of God, I still attend some occasions.
COVID-19 affected many businesses last year because of the lockdown. How were you able to cope as a businesswoman?
COVID-19 has caused a lot of setbacks for business people. However, there is an adage that) says if you are strong, you don’t look back, you continue to strive to be better. We should not look back, we should just keep moving forward. The pandemic affected everyone, nobody was exempted. In fact, the rich also cried. We will definitely get over it.
Looking back now, what is the happiest moment of your life?
Every day is a happy moment for me. The moment you sleep and wake up, you need to thank God for being alive. That is the greatest gift one can have.
What is your most challenging period?
Life itself is full of challenges. So as it comes, you pray you overcome it. Everyday has its own challenges, you try to overcome them and move on.
As a woman of many parts, how will you describe yourself?
I see myself as someone who is not) too much of an extrovert. I am loving and caring, especially to the children and the elderly people. I love these set of people. I enjoy being with them.
Last month was the International Women Day. How will you rate the progress of the Nigerian women?
Nigerian women are doing well. We are better off compared to where we were coming from. We are not there yet but we are making progress. Many women are now into politics, entrepreneurship and in the corporate world. They are recording remarkable achievements and they are now being noticed.
As you said, many women are doing well in the business world and in the board room. But we do not have fair representation of women in politics. How can we ensure that we have more women in political offices in 2023?
It is true that we don’t have many women occupying political offices. That is because we have more men in politics than women. Also, men are richer and they believe more in violence, whereas, women run away from anything that has to do with violence. However, I believe it is a gradual process. We can have more women occupying political offices if women can unite, cooperate and show love and support to one other. It might take some time for us to be well represented in politics but I hope and wish that women will have a better outing in the 2023 general elections. That would at least be a starting point and a sign that in the future, we will have a leading this country.
Nigeria is faced with security challenges. It has been seven years since the Chibok girls were abducted, many of them still not found. Afterwards, several others, young and old are being kidnapped on a daily basis, while some have even lost their lives in the process. What do you think can be done to stem this ugly tide?
It is very embarrassing. Nobody ever thought Nigeria would be like this. We are all aware of what is happening in our nation. To solve the problem,)our security personnel may need to go back to the drawing board and re-strategise. I don’t want to belive that the problem is within the house, it is not supposed to be so difficult to tackle insecurity if those who are in charge are not part of the problem. I will advise every Nigerian to be vigilant and prayerful. People should be careful, they should not be too extravagant, rather, they should try and live a moderate lifestyle. Also, I think government needs to call a roundtable meeting where we will all come together to discuss the problem of Nigeria and the way forward. Every region must be part of the discussion and they should be sincere when making their recommendations. I believe we will surely get over our security problems. There is a saying in Yoruba that when things are getting tougher, it means the solution is coming. I strongly believe that Nigeria will be better. We just pray that this phase will pass over quickly so we can enjoy our country again.
What can we as individuals do, to make Nigeria great again?
Charity begins at home, It is very funny that we blame government for everything that happens in this country. Sometimes, people who are not in government are worse than those in government. We need to change our ways and characters. The change has to start from us. If we all start doing what is right, those in government will be forced to do the same.
As a mother and grandmother, what advice do you have for young women on how to train up their children?
The best time to influence a child is from age 1-10. After that, they develop a mind of their own. So you have to start to instil values and morals in them from the early stage of their life. Teach them about life, let them know what is wrong from what is right. By the time they are in their teenage years, it will be easy for them to make right choices. Parents, especially mothers, should spend quality time with their children, they should monitor them. When you monitor them and you see that they are doing wrong things, you will be able to correct them early before it is too late. At the same time, you need to be their friends. When you are their friends, anytime they have challenges they will always come to you and not to outsiders. Most importantly, pray for them. I pray that our youths will become useful to themselves and the nation. I pray they will make our nation proud. I also pray that our nation will be good so they can live a comfortable and beautiful life instead of running abroad for greener pastures.
How do you think a woman can strike a balance between her career and the home front?
Though it is difficult yet it can be done. When you are at work you can call to check on them and monitor what they are doing. You can also find a way that you can keep them occupied after school hours. At weekends, make sure you spend time with them at home and if you have to go out, you can go with them.
What advice do you have for our youths, especially the unemployed graduates?
It is true that there are no white collar jobs but they can still find something to do. They need to make themselves useful. Some of them are not ready to work. There is too much exposure to money. The love of money is the root of all evils. Nobody wants to work hard for money, they want to make money within the twinkle of an eye. The society too does not care for the youth that is why many of them are into drugs, crime and all that. Many of them are depressed, they are not comfortable and that is why they are doing wrong things. I just want to appeal to them to try and be at peace with themselves. There are so many things they can do without waiting for government. Having said that, government too must be alive to its responsibilities.
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