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We need to educate women to be more Godly in private, public offices —Akinadewo

General Lady Superintendent of the Motailatu Church Cherubim and Seraphim Worldwide (MCCSW), Dr Elizabeth Ayobami Akinadewo, is the first to emerge as the chairperson of Women Wing Christian Association of Nigeria (WOWICAN) under the Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC), a bloc of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). She speaks with SEYI SOKOYA on women and leadership in the church and Nigeria, among other issues.

Congratulations on your new position as the chairperson of WOWICAN. How do you feel about this new leadership role?

It is indeed an honour to be chosen as the chairperson of our revered Christian women national leadership. I count this undeserving height as a special grace from God. In the euphoria of this honour, I wish to state that it is very much of a call to service, a call to sacrifice, and a chance to support women’s well-being and empowerment in Nigeria’s Christian community. My dedication lies in nurturing harmony, encouraging spiritual development, and tackling numerous obstacles confronting our women and what they experience daily as wives, mothers, and sisters and at the same trying hard to support their homes through effective career development as well as embarking on empowered businesses to enhance the financial strength of their families.

Did you envisage this position?

This never came to my thoughts and my consciousness at all, but I can say it is exactly what the Lord told Jeremiah before he was conceived, He (the Lord) knew whom he (Jeremiah) was going to become according to Jeremiah 1 verse 5. It was the Lord who found me and placed me in this humble height for his glory. Having said this, it is well-known all-over Christian leadership that I have always been committed to empowering women and the Christian community. For this reason, I am committed to actualising the objectives of WOWICAN and its purpose as earlier said, and I am excited for this great opportunity to lead this organisation.

As the first from the OAIC bloc to occupy the position, was there stiff opposition to your election? Whatever God designed for His beloved children will always come as a surprise and what we Christians call a ‘miracle’. To the glory of God, there were no unassailable objections to my election as the first OAIC bloc member to hold this post, which showed in the tremendous votes that I got from the five groups (CSN, CCN, CPFN/PFN, OAIC, and TEKAN/ECWA) during the election. Meanwhile, the support received so far even from the main body of CAN shows the level of unity that is resonating in the body of Christ in Nigeria, which is obvious in our collaborative steps in improving the fortune of WOWICAN. In addition, the support and encouragement from all quarters so far, have been motivating and created a sense of togetherness among us.

Not much seems to be heard about WOWICAN, why?

WOWICAN has been impactful to women across the nation. However, the silent nature of our activities with much media coverage might have been one of the reasons behind your assertion. For your information, the national leadership was on courtesy visits to the government of Plateau State and the Christian community in the state to commiserate with them on the carnage that occurred on Christmas Eve in 2023. The lack of sufficient media coverage will be frontally solved and our activities that will not resort to unnecessary publicity will be amplified through several media platforms. In my capacity as the Chairperson of WOWICAN, I desire to raise the organisation’s profile through the implementation of targeted communication campaigns, community outreach, and media partnerships. By working together, we can increase the level of awareness and highlight WOWICAN’s significant achievements.

Could you tell us more about the organisation?

It is not too different from the objectives of the main body (Christian Association of Nigeria) but with a specific focus on women and children. This includes the promotion of spiritual development, unity, and addressing women’s difficulties faced by women including the widows as well as young orphaned children. We empower Christian women in Nigeria, organise conferences, workshops, and community engagements for socio-economic well-being, these are some of the accomplishments of our group over the years by my predecessors, and we will not only follow this noble path but we shall improve on them.

What exactly are your main plans for the association?

Also, how do you intend to combine constant traveling, your career, businesses, and family? Some of these are in the planning stage, which will be duly unveiled through achievements. I would not want us to count the chickens before they are hatched. Having said that, we will continue to be the source of solutions for issues faced by our women, increase and improve community engagements, and take the steps that will empower our gender. With these, we need the support of all our husbands and our highly placed women leaders across the nation for the effective delivery of our plans. We will soon be visiting the Christian women across sectors. This will enable them to have a clearer view and understanding of what WOWICAN stands for.

Some women have been faulted for messing up when given opportunities to serve, especially at national levels. What is your take on this?

This is a Christian group and we shall not only apply the principles of Christ in whatever we do, but we shall also be engaging the socio-political Christian women across sectors for the need to uphold the tenets of our faith in whatever capacity that they find themselves. This is a priority for this administration. Also, as a responsible Christian group from this country, I have yet to see any law that stops our women from ascending to any position in all the sectors of the country. What is needed is more cooperation among the women, without having to toe the path of undermining our men. We shall apply wisdom in engaging the necessary organisation to ensure that our qualified women are encouraged and motivated to ascend to any position. Crying marginalisation at times could be counterproductive.

A valid example is our parent body, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) which produced the first female Assistant General Secretary despite our having WOWICAN for women. There was no protest, no cry of marginalisation, but our member was appointed based on merit. This is the strategy that I am talking about. On whether it is the women’s fault and how women can successfully serve and avoid having their hands soiled or being indicted, I will say it is extremely simplistic to blame a gender-based agenda for the perceived failings of some women in leadership positions. It’s critical to assess people according to their qualifications and skills. Women can effectively serve by prioritising accountability, openness, and skillful communication. A supportive environment, leadership development, and mentoring programmes can also help them succeed and avoid any possible banana peels.

The benefits of equal opportunity will enhance the effective growth of the nation. We have seen some notable women who excelled in leadership roles like Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who has excelled in various international and national positions. Also, Amina Mohammed who is currently serving as the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, as well as Christian women leaders like Pastor Dr. Mrs Foluke Adeboye, and of course our own First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Her Excellency, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, among numerous others. We will engage these successful women through our research plans, and use their paths to success to midwife the current and future generations of women. As Christian women, we are ambassadors of Christ, representing contemporary Christian women all over the country. Many of our children are looking up to us. Hence, we will try as much as possible to protect our integrity and rely on God for our sustainability.

There is the perception that successful women are usually arrogant and are hardly submissive. What do you think?

I think it is most appropriate to examine things from a sincere perspective, especially individual background and perception. The prejudice that portrays successful women as haughty or devoid of humility could be from the strict and careful nature of women, especially when relating with the opposite sex. We have seen situations of women being taken advantage of if they are easily accessible. However, people differ greatly in their personalities and ways of behaviour, regardless of their gender. It’s critical to acknowledge and value the variety of traits possessed by successful women, avoiding generalisations based on antiquated prejudices. No one developed character suddenly, it must have been in that person before she attained that position of success. James 4 verse 6 says, ‘But he giveth more, wherefore he saith, God resists the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.’ Nonetheless, we will continue to educate our younger women on the need to balance things through a godly mindset to do things that will glorify God.

Insecurity has continued even at a higher rate across the country. What do you feel about this and what practical steps do you think can be taken to curb the menace?

It is a concern for all and sundry with my prayers and thoughts for those affected. To effectively combat this threat, I will suggest increased community policing, local authorities should be empowered through the law to embark upon Knowing Your Neighbours (KYN), like the Knowing Your Customer (KYC) that is cardinally used in financial institutions. In addition, our security forces should be reinforced, and intelligence collecting should be improved.

Long-term stability can also be achieved by addressing the underlying causes, such as socio-economic problems, and encouraging community involvement. It equally necessitates a thorough and well-coordinated effort at all governmental and social levels to eliminate insecurity. People should also be discreet in the kind of information that they display on social media. Many people have given their whereabouts to evildoers through their social media platforms.

We as citizens need to be more careful and extra vigilant. Meanwhile, if we love one another, we will not think of doing any evil to our neighbor as explicitly stated in Ephesians 4:32 ‘Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God has forgiven you.’. We should equally intensify our prayer forts. There is nothing God cannot do.

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