Category: New Woman

Isioma-Fidel-Ewerem is a graduate of Integrated Social Sciences from the University of Lagos. She also has a Diploma in Bilingual Secretarial Studies from the Lagoon Executive Secretarial College run by the esteemed Opus Dei Organisation. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde, she talks about life working in the embassy, assessment of women in public life, making  megabucks as a compere and more.

WHERE have you worked and some of the experiences gained?

I worked with the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia for over 13 years as Assistant to serving Ambassadors and First Secretaries. Then I went on to work at the Indonesian Trade Promotion Centre as Public Relations Manager. From that job, I went on to the Centre for Law and Business as Business Development Manager. This took me to the Nigerian Belgian Chamber of Commerce as Executive Secretary.

I also worked at the Amalgamated Plastics Limited as PR/Marketing Manager as well as with a foremost Mortgage Bank as Customer Relations Officer and as Assistant Manager Corporate Affairs. Currently, I am working as the Executive Assistant to the CEO of Siman Engineering, Chief Mrs Anita Okuribido, who doubles as the President of the Council for Renewable Energy of Nigeria. We will soon come out with our GREEN agenda. We are galvanised and ready to empower the economy of Nigeria, one green step at a time

What was life like working with the Embassy?

Working with the embassy was a wonderful experience. I learnt a lot about the diplomatic world. I got to savour Indonesian dishes, got closely acquainted with their culture and made life-long friends not only from Indonesia, but from other countries. I particularly loved to attend the monthly diplomatic league where diplomats and embassy officials from different countries got to network.

Let’s talk about the highpoint in your career

I had a number of high points, but three readily come to mind. At some point in the mortgage bank where I worked many years ago, I was confronted with some frustrations by two of my colleagues and decided to resign. The Managing Director who was out of town at the time got wind of my resignation and insisted that I rescind my decision and when I complied, I was promoted to my utmost delight.

Secondly, there was a very wonderful Ambassador I worked with who thrust me into the limelight and insisted that I anchored events and diplomatic receptions organised by the Embassy. This was the turning point for me as a Master of Ceremony.

A third high point was getting a job as Executive Secretary of Nigerian Belgium Chamber of Commerce. It was quite demanding but the experience was well worth it.

What were some of the challenges encountered?

Generally, my work life over the years has been wonderful; but on occasion, I encountered subtle forms of racism and discrimination from a few short-sighted colleagues.

Tell us about some memorable moments in your life

November 17, 1991 was one of the most memorable days of my life as I rededicated my life to the Lord Jesus Christ on that awesome day. A fall-out of this was attending the Latter Rain Bible School where I earned a diploma. These were truly remarkable moments in my life.

Also joining the Toastmasters International Club to hone my speaking skills was quite memorable. On my first visit to the club, I received an award for being the best off-the-cuff speaker.

Many years ago, I was driven a long distance by three gun-totting robbers who ended up being my friends after I prayed for them. After a harrowing shootout between the robbers and the police, the robbers filled my tank and gave me back my car. Unbelievable but true.

What is life as MC like? Let’s talk about some of the events you have anchored and how these have influenced your life.

Life as MC has been an incredible experience because I get to inspire and impact people in my own little way. I also get to meet amazing people from all works of life who in various ways have inspired me and enriched my life.

I anchored the recent two-day leadership workshop on alternative sources of renewable energy organised by Odu’a Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (Oduaccima) in collaboration with Council for Renewable Energy in Nigeria (CREN) and Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA).

In the course of my career, I have anchored a number of diplomatic receptions and high level business meetings and a big event organised by Youth Business Initiative in Nigeria. It is an initiative of HRH the Prince of Wales. I have also anchored a number of book and album launches, birthdays, engagement parties and fund raising events.

What inspires and motivates you?

The Word of God inspires and motivates me in very profound ways. I am also inspired by persons who show acts of kindness and love to others. Lastly, I am inspired and motivated by the 12 year olds that I am privileged to teach at the Latter Rain Assembly where I worship.

How would you describe the efforts of Nigerian women?

Nigerian woman are gradually coming into their own. Hitherto, we were so preoccupied with our families and personal lives. We were also satisfied at being relegated to the background. Now, more women than ever before are making the effort to come out and be counted amongst the influencers. We are not yet there though, but the efforts are commendable. We have heard of the saying that the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. I call upon my fellow womenfolk to come out of hiding and rule in their various spheres of influence.

If you had to compare what our women in public life are doing with those in the other parts of the world, what would you say?

Nigerian women in public life are not too far behind their counterparts in other parts of the world. I am actually impressed by some of them that I have seen so far. However, there is room for improvement. Permit me to seize this opportunity to encourage my amazing amazons, as I like to call them, to come out in numbers to play more roles in the public arena. God’s grace is definitely sufficient for them.

Where do you hope to so see Nigeria in the next 10 years?

I am very optimistic that in the next 10 years, Nigeria will flourish beyond our wildest dreams. We will no longer be the slumbering giant or the laughing stock within the comity of nations. I am very certain that in my lifetime, Nigeria will be the nation to talk about and to visit.

Tell us about some of your mentors and what you admire about them.

My mentor is the Pastor of Latter Rain Assembly, Dr. Gbolahan Tunde Bakare. His life’s journey from childhood up until now can best be described as intriguing, super-inspiring, scintillating and remarkable. He is totally sold out to Jesus and lives what he preaches. I appreciate him tremendously.

Another mentor is the amazing late Mother Theresa. The depth of her love for the poor, sick and helpless was totally incredible. She was truly an epitome of the love of God. In my opinion, she was simply exceptional.

If you had to advise young people, what would you tell them?

First off, they must rededicate their lives to God who created them and be ever conscious that they are destined for greatness. They must not give in to peer pressure and low self-esteem. Lastly, they must not be in a hurry and never despise little beginnings.

WHAT’S up with you, wonderful Nigerians? I’ll be discussing the advantages of delaying gratification and sincerely hope it will give someone some relief and help chart a new course in life.

Delayed gratification is the ability to resist the temptation for an immediate reward and wait for a later reward. It is associated with resisting a smaller but more immediate reward in order to receive a larger or more enduring reward later. And a person’s ability to delay gratification relates to other similar skills such as patience, impulse control, self-control and willpower, all of which are involved in self-regulation. I tell you this may not come so easy as one’s childhood orientation determines so much. However, one’s deliberate or do I say forceful will power can help.

To start with, our greatest wishes in life don’t come easy as life is not ready to give us what we really want most of the time, and so we have to put up a fight for it. We also must not forget that what comes our way easily or what we didn’t sweat for does not last because we never develop the skills to maintain it. In other words, while fighting to get that which we desire, life itself trains us to conquer it by instilling some skills in us. These skills refine us, bring out the very best in us and practically lay the world at our feet. How nice! I have practiced delaying gratification over time and the following are what it availed me.

 

Advantages of delayed gratification

It trains you for the future  It imparts in you Tenacity which is one of the secrets of success. It is the quality of being determined to achieve something. It involves Perseverance and is a quality displayed by someone who just won’t quit. You’ll agree with me that in a world as competitive as this, you need it to carry you through life. It instills Patience in you. Patience gives us the ability to put up graciously with obstacles in our path, to respond to life’s challenges with Courage, Strength and Optimism. And it is a must-have virtue for your journey through life, otherwise you may get lost in transit! Also, for you to attain great heights in life, you just must climb the mountains and wade the stormy seas.

It grants you more than you wanted  Haven’t you heard of people who had been jobless for years saying they got multiple job offers at a time? Or women who were once barren eventually having triplets, quadruplets? When life sees you are a good student in the school of adversity and you are not ready to give up, it salutes you and automatically rewards you by bombarding you with more than you ever pined for. Now, I am not talking about miracles though I believe in them. Life recognises and rewards hard work, determination and persistence -period!

The delay and struggle ushers in new vistas and opportunities- Imagine you are in a wild forest searching for a treasure; you are bound to come across all sorts – good and bad. Before you find your treasure, you discover a lot you never even knew existed and which will turn out to be of good use to you sooner or later.

It makes you master over your situation  This is the best part of it. You become a master over that which had resisted you and given you great trouble, then eventually surrendered. The harder its resistance, the greater your rulership and grip over it when it becomes yours.

Sisters dearest, wouldn’t you rather go through this process to have your greatest desires and much more than go through a shameful short-cut? Time has proved that when you take the pains of going through the narrow way – waiting at the end of the road is a golden crown and a giant trophy which will give you a happy and glorious life. Good luck!

For our sisters in captivity-

 

Dear God,

Why don’t you tear the sky apart and come down? The captains of Sambisa forest would see you and shake with fear. They would tremble like water boiling over a hot fire. Come and reveal your power and release your children. Amen.

Mrs Fola Soyebo is a chartered Estate Surveyor and an associate of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and Valuers of England and Wales, as well as the Nigerian Institute of Estate Surveyors and Valuers. She also runs three Christian bookshops. In this interview with NNEKA NWANERI, she talks about what motivated her to have a compassionate heart for young girls and to run Echoes of Mercy and Hope Foundation (EMHF), home for teen girls.

HOW did it all begin? In 2006, I co-founded, with Mrs. Ibi Fabyan, “Rev3v20” – an evangelism and healing outreach to hospitals in Lagos. What we did was to regularly visit hospitals, pray for the sick, and pay for hospital treatment of patients when necessary. It was while carrying out this assignment that I became increasingly aware of the plight of the destitute and took an interest.

What was your motivation?

Whenever we were on evangelism, I tell people how Jesus loves them. With time, it became obvious that these people sometimes needed aids. They needed help, they needed money, they needed accommodation, sometimes they needed drugs. When at the hospitals, I see they needed money to pay for drugs, medical expenses and then I believe in being a practical Christian; we don’t tell people that we love them and don’t want to help them, we must help people. So, that’s why I decided to do something to help people.

Tell us more about the project

The home originally began with two families. I and the board of trustees, comprising Mrs Eme Akenzua and Pastor Taiwo Odukoya, thought it wise to teach them the ways of the Bible. We also found that there are many girls on the street, young girls between the ages of 12-18, living in the midst of the rage of the city; no hope or future. Some of these girls live in the streets, under the bridge and are sometimes molested by thugs.

Yearly, we target to help 70 girls. Every six months, we will train 35 girls in two batches. During that time, we will hope to transform their lives.

What are some of the activities carried out in the home?

Sessions will last for six months. We will teach them how to read, how to write; we will fix the younger ones into schools. We will also work with other NGOs with boarding house facilities to accept them and teach them etiquettes and daily living skills. The older girls will learn a skill, they will be taught a vocation like they will learn how to make hair, cookery, mechanic and so many other skills and Fountain of Life Church is working with us – they have a vocational school already. We will only be involved in the logiststics, which is taking them to and fro.

As part of our curriculum, we will run a 4-month certificate course in Catering, Bead craft, Jewelry and Accessories, Machine Knitting, Hat Making, Design and Accessories, Make up Bridal, Fantasy, Fashion, Runway, Head Gear Tying, Special effects, Textile Design Batik, Tie & Dye (Adire) and Full Screen Printing, Soap, Cream, Disinfectant, Air-freshener and Detergent Production, Event Management and Planning, Design and Decoration of Indoors and Outdoor Parties, Soft Furnishing with the help of other equally passionate women in these fields.

How genuine is the home?

There are people that are really genuinely helping girls and there are some that run baby factories. Thus, it is very important for a little girl before she goes anywhere she should make sure it is a genuinely helping place. We do not take in pregnant girls for now because they are not our focus. Others like Tokunbo Odutola Foundation PJF do pregnant girls, so we don’t do pregnant girls for now.

How do you get across to your targets?

EMHF targets young street girls between the ages of 12-17 years living on the streets of Lagos. Its objective is to have a transitional home that will suit our purposes. The home will represent a safety net to catch a few and provide a change in direction and hope to the hopeless. It will be an ark where the downtrodden will find God’s love, care and direction.

It costs N16, 800 to feed 35 girls per day with three square meals. That amounts to N550 a day for a girl. When multiplied per day in a year, it is a lot of money.