Anambra State Commissioner for Ladies and Youngsters Affairs and former broadcaster, Ify Obinabo, tells IKENNA OBIANERI how her life expertise is driving her ardour for the welfare of ladies and kids
You have got been an advocate for ladies, youngster rights and safety. Is your curiosity linked to a private expertise or simply your accountability as a commissioner?
As a broadcaster, I used to be engaged in issues associated to ladies and kids. Personally, as a person, I don’t like folks being humiliated and to the glory of God, after I was given this task and I mentioned I needed to do it as if there isn’t a tomorrow.
What vital programmes did you champion earlier than you turned a commissioner?
I did issues on the household and preserve the household going, as a broadcaster. I had a one-hour programme (that aired) nearly day-after-day. After I was at Minaj Broadcasting (Worldwide), I had one programme or the opposite that needed to do about household and championing youngsters’s points. We preserve saying that society is unhealthy, however society begins with households. I’ve all the time had this ardour for ensuring that youngsters are introduced up in the suitable means. I’ve a ardour for ensuring that society is fastened for our collective good. So, based mostly on that, I mentioned if we are able to begin from the household, then we are going to repair it. We have to begin the re-orientation as a result of we now have misplaced it someplace. So, this impressed my curiosity in ladies and youngster advocacy.
Whenever you mentioned society has misplaced it someplace, at what level did you assume society has misplaced it?
When households, the society began copying hook, line, and sinker, European tradition, it began dropping it. You understand prior to now, we mentioned a toddler resembles both the daddy or the mom. However you possibly can’t say that now. Over 80 per cent of immediately’s youngsters resemble what they see on social media and what they copied from European tradition that has nothing to do with the coaching they’ve been given. So, we now have to start out speaking to our kids, that these issues should not our tradition. The system we now have right here is just not the identical system over there.
Was your appointment as a commissioner your first publicity to public workplace?
I began as a broadcaster with Minaj after I was 26 years previous and my final youngster was three months previous at the moment. I left and joined the Anambra Broadcasting Service. I additionally anchored reveals. I learn the information on tv and radio and did reviews. Later, I used to be appointed a particular adviser to former governor Willie Obiano and I did that for one yr. After that, I used to be appointed the transition chairman of my native authorities space and I served for 11 months earlier than I used to be once more appointed particular adviser to the governor. I did that for shut to 2 years. I’m into motion pictures. I’ve featured in about 70 motion pictures and I produced thoughts too.
You left the media sector about 10 years in the past. In your evaluation, what has modified in that sector between that point and now?
So much. As we speak, we now have so many unprofessional platforms deceptive folks. You’ll be able to’t consider every part you see on-line as a result of a lot of the authors of the content material should not well-trained. In these days, you have to be skilled earlier than you go on air otherwise you begin practising as a journalist to know the nitty gritty. You don’t simply get up and open a web based platform and begin shouting, “Occurring dwell and direct” as some platforms are doing immediately. These platforms preserve complicated folks and creating confusion right here and there.
What do you assume will be performed to curb pretend information?
Folks ought to have a conscience. It can’t be stopped; social media has come to remain. We now have plenty of issues we’re gaining from social media, however folks ought to know that they may achieve nothing by deceptive folks with it within the title of chasing content material and chasing a crowd. And the professionals shouldn’t be demoralised. We all know they’re there, after we learn their information, we all know we’re studying a balanced story.
Nigeria joined the remainder of the world to make World Press Freedom Day on Wednesday, Might 3, 2023. How will you assess the welfare of journalists in Nigeria?
As we speak’s journalists must be good and produce other sources of revenue due to the poor remuneration in that sector. They need to be artistic and search for different avenues of earning money by way of different communication channels.
You have got spoken at completely different fora about ladies and youngster rights. Did you encounter any infringement in your proper as a toddler or girl?
Positive, quite a bit. And I can’t wish to go into extra element about it. No matter nasty factor I’ve handed by way of I don’t want every other particular person to cross by way of it. However my happiness is that in all of those, God confirmed up and put a smile on my face, and based mostly on that when a sufferer whose rights have been infringed upon comes to speak to me, I really feel their ache, and due to that I’m going all out with that particular person to make sure that we get issues proper. However you can be shocked to listen to that ladies are the enemies of their fellow ladies.
What do you imply?
Most circumstances of infringements on rights we now have up to now acquired are instigated by ladies. I’ve all the time preached that ladies ought to love each other; when ladies begin loving each other, all these issues will come to an finish. When males wish to conspire in opposition to ladies, they use ladies to do this.
What’s your most cherished second as a commissioner?
My most cherished second as a commissioner is after I see folks, particularly rapists, taken to courtroom. There was a selected case I dealt with when some ladies gathered collectively and assaulted a widow and destroyed her property as a result of her youngsters weren’t well-to-do. I dealt with the case, not by taking all the ladies to courtroom, however at the least, they understood what I used to be telling them and after that, they rebuilt what they destroyed within the widow’s home and all of that. It gave me critical pleasure and satisfaction. The truth is, seeing justice being served for victims of rights infringements offers me pleasure.
The workplace you’re dealing with exposes you to many actions, which ones have you ever discovered difficult or troublesome to deal with?
Nobody is straightforward, particularly when it impacts orphans or entails rape or youngster abuse. Additionally, the job is difficult as a result of the primary woman (spouse of the governor) of the state is somebody who has a ardour for kids and the susceptible in society and doesn’t need any youngster to be damage in any means.
I don’t push any matter apart. When a matter crops up, I see it to its logical conclusion. We now have many circumstances in courtroom and I do know we now have as much as 5 judgments. A lot of the culprits are in jail cooling off.
Are you able to point out a number of the circumstances which have reached a logical finish?
There are various of them, like a girl that was arrested for youngster trafficking. She was caught over the last Christmas interval in Onitsha, trafficking 4 women from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. We bought that data on December 23, 2022. I needed to plead with the police, and the courtroom workers, they tidied it up. The courts had already vacated however I pleaded with the Justice of the Peace; she got here again on December 24 and the courtroom sat and arraigned the lady, and he or she was remanded in jail. Final month, the perpetrator was jailed and the youngsters have been enrolled in class in Anambra. The kids should not from Anambra State, however after I seemed into their historical past, I discovered that they’re orphans. If I inform them to return to Akwa Ibom the place they’re from, the place will they go? They may nonetheless fall sufferer to the identical state of affairs.
What was your childhood like?
I grew up in a really humble background. We aren’t wealthy. My mom was a petty dealer and my father was a civil servant. We grew up in Ebonyi State and I bought married there, although my husband is from himAnambra.
How did you meet him?
He noticed an industrial little woman in me. The day he met me, I used to be sweeping our store for my mom. He approached me and informed me he all the time handed in entrance of the store each morning and noticed me sweeping and making ready the store for the day’s actions. I used to go to my mom’s store each morning to organize the place earlier than her arrival. At the moment, I used to be 16 years previous. Sure, I bought married very early.
Did you get married at 16?
Sure, based mostly on the place I come from, that was after my Junior Secondary Faculty Three. Then all my age mates have been already married. Some even married at 12, others at 13, as of that point. My husband paid my bride worth after I was 16, and we bought married, however he allowed me to finish secondary schooling earlier than we wedded.
What did early publicity to marriage educate you and what are the risks of it?
It was not straightforward to get married at that age, as a result of one doesn’t even know what one is doing. That’s the reality, however it’s good whenever you fall into good arms, somebody that is aware of the significance of schooling, and that may expose you to have your future fulfilled. So, most individuals dropped out of faculty. However in my case, I fell into hand who allowed me to go to highschool. However, the hazard in it’s if you happen to fall into the incorrect hand, one who doesn’t know the significance of exposing you to schooling. That’s the place the hazard comes for the woman so far as early marriage is worried.
So, how did he stand out as a suitor?
So a lot of them(suitors) have been there, however he’s good-looking. After I noticed him, I mentioned to myself, “This man is cute.” His beauty stood him out.
Do you might have mentors?
I do know I’ve folks I look to, however as an individual, God is my mentor. Politically, I’ve individuals who have inspired me. The previous chairman of Intercontinental Financial institution, Chief Raymond Obieri, is my political father.
How do you chill out?
At any time when I wish to have enjoyable, I really like being with my grandchildren. It offers me plenty of pleasure. My first grandchild might be 12 this yr. All my youngsters have given me grandchildren, they love me a lot and I really like them a lot, so I stick with them. So, I chill out with them a lot of the weekends. I’m going to their properties to be with them.
What’s your saddest second in life?
You understand life blows cold and hot, however a very powerful factor is that on the finish of the day, every part is okay. The worst occasions I do know I’ve I wouldn’t wish to point out or focus on it, however to the glory of God, every part got here and ended within the glory of God. I’m a toddler of grace, if I can say it that means. I’m someone that issues occur to by the grace of God and I don’t know the way it occurs. I want for one thing and God grants me that factor. As I informed you, my mother and father weren’t linked to anyone. I give glory to God at each level. At any time when I’ve ready my thoughts that a chance has come to an finish, one other alternative to supply service might be opened to me. For instance, after I completed serving as an area authorities chairman, I felt it was throughout, however earlier than I knew it, one other alternative to serve got here and on the finish of the day, I noticed myself climbing up. To me, unmerited favour, is what I’m having fun with on this life. I by no means dreamt that at some point I might be a commissioner. And that’s the reason in any task I’m given, I put God first and I do it with all ardour. I’ll all the time do it as if there isn’t a tomorrow. Public service is about ardour, in case you have the eagerness, you’ll all the time stand out in public service.
