For me, success entails achievement in what I do and having a happy family —Barrister Nkiru Okpala

Nkiru Joy Okpala is an Attorney-at-Law, an administrator, a writer, teacher and the national coordinator of Association of Nigerian Women Business Network (ANWBN) and the Nigerian Network of Women Exporters of Services (NNWES). In this interview by TAYO GESINDE, the founder of Confidence Chambers, Abuja, speaks on why she is passionate about women and girls’ right.

CHOICE of career

I should say my natural endowments, skills, roles I played while growing up, previous experiences, and above all, my coming to terms with my personality. You see, I have always had this gentle heart for service. I always frowned at people being unduly taken advantage of, being molested, or having their rights infringed upon. So, from childhood, I had always dreamt of the day I would wear the lawyer’s wig and gown and stand before the law court to defend someone against molestation or inhumane treatment. Again, right from childhood too, I had been a leader, class monitor all through primary school; from captain, all through secondary, Students Union and faculty leader all through the university. It may in fact, be right to say I had always been on the side of decision taking over my peers, and one thing I disliked was seeing another suffer injustice, or made to pay for what she did not cause. So, with that kind of mindset, I was ready to take my society up and ensure equity. Having been trained as a lawyer, a teacher, and an administrator, I joined numerous organisations and on each occasion, I was always singled out for leadership. In the course of time, I found myself, joining business associations, and with it, I got to realise some of the challenges women face in doing business, or trying to make ends meet.

So, in general, I should say that I was able to determine who I am, what special characteristics or traits that I possess, as well as what I feel can always give me joy. Having determined that on time, I was focused on actualising that, without desiring to be like every other person. So, I guess the efforts are well worth the while because I enjoy waking up each morning to go to work every working day or at least most working days, because I am happy about what I do.

My most defining moment

Hmm, tough question indeed! It may really be difficult for me to pick out one most defining moment, as I have had quite a handful. In any case, I shall try. That very moment I have in mind now, was quite humbling. There was this young woman who was always coming around our residence to pick up items from the garbage. She always had this brilliant but dirty and malnourished looking girl come along with her. One day, I called the woman, sat her down to determine the root cause of her problems. Eventually, she narrated her sorrowful and poverty enmeshed life story. I made a resolve to aid her, and ensure her little girl goes to school, even from my little resources as an undergraduate.

The little funds I gave out of my pocket money as a student enabled her buy a grinding machine. She began to grow economically from there and she ensured that this same girl, her daughter, went to school from the little proceeds she made out of grinding food items. Eventually, when the girl was about to graduate from the primary school, she was the best student in the Common Entrance Examination. She won a state scholarship to secondary school, along with lots of other prices from organisations and individuals.

At the time of the presentation of the scholarship to her daughter, the woman was called out to proudly stand by her daughter, but she insisted that I should be the one to stand. Her reason was that without that little help I rendered few years back, that scholarship and price giving day would never have come in her life. So, you see, the brilliant little daughter was able to feed and go to school all because of that little assistance that saw her out of abject poverty, and her mother took the opportunity to toe the line of entrepreneurship. The crowd shed tears of joy along with the woman, and everyone rallied round me as if I was a hero, a demi-god, you know, a tiny saviour. The experience was amazing, the people were filled with gladness, and I was made to feel as a super person who has the Midas touch.

That experience motivated me to give in more and spread further, the hands of selfless services to humanity.  I thought within myself, how many more families could be put on the path of wealth creation if they are given just very little lift? How many more women would gladly have their children go to school if only they are kindly led on the path of job engagement? And how many more children who would have been saved from street crimes, unproductive lifestyle, and hoodlum kind of life, if someone out there had given a very little helping hand?

Today, that little girl is an undergraduate in a Medical School in the Caribbean, still under scholarship. You can see what a mere pocket money of a student was able to do in the life of the poor girl, and the joy it has brought to her family. That fund made her go to school, where she excelled and was identified for educational support. You can then imagine what those funds people bury in the soak-away would have done in the lives of people in need, or if they had been invested in industrial sectors to create jobs, particularly for women who would in turn, spend them on the education and welfare of their wards. That singular act of generosity brings up goose pimples each time I recollect it, to think that a bright star would have been wasted. The question then is how many of such little ones are being wasted due to poverty? How many of such potentials are being thrown away because of someone else’s greed and avarice, corruption and the likes?

In fact, that day, I made a resolve, I decided to dedicate more time to helping, coaching women and girls on how to become entrepreneurs and fight poverty. So, as I grew into a woman, I became more active in engaging in not just the legal practice, but diverted into using my knowledge to fight against injustice, particularly against the women, and equally, to build more women entrepreneurs, engage in working to ensure conducive environment is created for women to engage in business, and thrive in it too. I continued by also ensuring that they are considered in accessing credits to begin or to enhance their enterprises. It equally made me become more global in actions. So, having considered all that transpired at that prize giving moment, and are still transpiring as well as the effect of that period in my life, I will say that was for sure, a very defining moment for me.

Combining the home front with my career

Oh, everything is about time management, balancing between work and family, understanding what should take priority at each moment, working towards ensuring nothing is neglected, and equally, giving in my best at all times. These are the key managerial demands for me. Having adequate and competent back-up at both fronts—work and office, to handle emergencies do also help out. Moreover, I am my own boss, so I determine my schedules most times. It usually requires very proactive decision-making skills, and at the same time, the ability to define success. This is so because what you regard as success determines your level of involvement. For me, success entails both achievements in what I do at work, as well as having a happy family. So, I strive to balance between giving and deriving joy and fulfillment at both fronts.

The price I paid to get to where I am today

Sacrifice! I had to forgo some personal benefits, and looked beyond the present. I had to place humanity first and sought for ways of putting smiles on the faces of not just people around me, but also, people whom I know I may never meet in life, but who wished someone better positioned could cry out on their behalf for their better livelihood, for their rights, and for their survival. Putting that as paramount, I had to give in so much selfless services, knowing that millions of people out there are getting their concerns handled by the right authorities due to what I do.

It took sleepless nights, funds, intuition, research, one–on-one meeting and more. But, at the end, the results were fulfilling. It gives you great joy to enter gatherings and people are clamouring to meet with you, chat with you, pick your information and tell you in very happy tones, that they are glad they have the opportunity at last, to say thank you for what you did for them, or for the benefits they derived from the programmes you organised. At such times, you begin to wonder, when and how did you do that? That is when you realise further, how far reaching your works had been. It is indeed wonderful to see how lives are affected; families are drawn out of poverty and want, all because of what I had done. At such times, I just reminiscence, and thank God, realising that His Mercies continue to be new each day.

Other things I do besides Law

I am the National Coordinator of Association of Nigerian Women  Business Network (ANWBN), a coalition of 18 women business and professional associations in Nigeria with a membership of over 920,000 entrepreneurs  who had come together with the common goal of encouraging and improving sustainable entrepreneurial development among women through research, advocacy and policy reform initiatives and the Nigerian Network of Women Exporters of Services (NNWES) which is also, an alliance of business and professional women entrepreneurs in the services sectors, who are poised at working in partnership and friendship with similar women in the global economy. I also engage in numerous consultancy jobs on policies for growth and economic sustenance, focusing on women. I am a motivational speaker too. At the same time, I am an active member of different humanitarian and lives affecting organisations. I am glad people testify that I have awesomely succeeded in redirecting many strayed individuals, leading them through corrective measures. These have earned my name covetous spaces on the honours board and excellence books of different establishments and organisations in Nigeria and internationally.