Anambra State Commissioner for Women and Children Affairs and former broadcaster, Ify Obinabo, tells IKENNA OBIANERI how her life experience is driving her passion for the welfare of women and children

You have been an advocate for women, child rights and protection. Is your interest connected to a personal experience or just your responsibility as a commissioner?

As a broadcaster, I was engaged in things related to women and children. Personally, as an individual, I don’t like people being humiliated and to the glory of God, when I was given this assignment and I said I had to do It as if there is no tomorrow.

What important programmes did you champion before you became a commissioner?

I did things on the family and how to keep the family going, as a broadcaster. I had a one-hour programme (that aired) almost every day. When I was at Minaj Broadcasting (International), I had one programme or the other that had to do about family and championing children’s issues. We keep saying that society is bad, but society starts with families. I have always had this passion for making sure that children are brought up in the right way. I have a passion for making sure that society is fixed for our collective good. So, based on that, I said if we can start from the family, then we will fix it. We need to start the re-orientation because we have lost it somewhere. So, this inspired my interest in women and child advocacy.

When you said society has lost it somewhere, at what point did you think society has lost it?

When families, the society started copying hook, line, and sinker, European culture, it started losing it. You know before now, we said a child resembles either the father or the mother. But you can’t say that now. Over 80 per cent of today’s children resemble what they see on social media and what they copied from European culture that has nothing to do with the training they have been given. So, we have to start talking to our children, that those things are not our culture. The system we have here is not the same system over there.

Was your appointment as a commissioner your first exposure to public office?

I started as a broadcaster with Minaj when I was 26 years old and my last child was three months old at that time. I left and joined the Anambra Broadcasting Service. I also anchored shows. I read the news on television and radio and did reports. Later, I was appointed a special adviser to former governor Willie Obiano and I did that for one year. After that, I was appointed the transition chairman of my local government area and I served for 11 months before I was again appointed special adviser to the governor. I did that for close to two years. I am into movies. I have featured in about 70 movies and I produced mind too.

You left the media sector about 10 years ago. In your assessment, what has changed in that sector between that time and now?

A lot. Today, we have so many unprofessional platforms misleading people. You can’t believe everything you see online because most of the authors of the content are not well-trained. In those days, you must be trained before you go on air or you start practising as a journalist to know the nitty gritty. You don’t just wake up and open an online platform and start shouting, “Happening live and direct” as some platforms are doing today. These platforms keep confusing people and creating confusion here and there.

What do you think can be done to curb fake news?

People should have a conscience. It cannot be stopped; social media has come to stay. We have a lot of things we are gaining from social media, but people should know that they will gain nothing by misleading people with it in the name of chasing content and chasing a crowd. And the professionals should not be demoralised. We know they are there, when we read their news, we know we are reading a balanced story.

Nigeria joined the rest of the world to make World Press Freedom Day on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. How will you assess the welfare of journalists in Nigeria?

Today’s journalists should be smart and have other sources of income because of the poor remuneration in that sector. They should be creative and look for other avenues of making money through other communication channels.

You have spoken at different for a about women and child rights. Did you encounter any infringement on your right as a child or woman?

Sure, a lot. And I will not want to go into more detail about it. Whatever nasty thing I have passed through I do not want any other person to pass through it. But my happiness is that in all of these, God showed up and put a smile on my face, and based on that when a victim whose rights have been infringed upon comes to talk to me, I feel their pain, and because of that I go all out with that person to ensure that we get things right. But you will be surprised to hear that women are the enemies of their fellow women.

What do you mean?

Most cases of infringements on rights we have so far received are instigated by women. I have always preached that women should love one another; when women start loving one another, all these problems will come to an end. When men want to conspire against women, they use women to do that.

What is your most cherished moment as a commissioner?

My most cherished moment as a commissioner is when I see people, especially rapists, taken to court. There was a particular case I handled when some women gathered together and assaulted a widow and destroyed her property because her children were not well-to-do. I handled the case, not by taking all the women to court, but at least, they understood what I was telling them and after that, they rebuilt what they destroyed in the widow’s house and all of that. It gave me serious joy and satisfaction. In fact, seeing justice being served for victims of rights infringements gives me joy.

The office you are handling exposes you to many activities, which of them have you found challenging or difficult to handle?

No one is easy, especially when it affects orphans or involves rape or child abuse. Also, the job is challenging because the first lady (wife of the governor) of the state is someone who has a passion for children and the vulnerable in society and does not want any child to be hurt in any way.

I don’t push any matter aside. When a matter crops up, I see it to its logical conclusion. We have many cases in court and I know we have up to five judgments. Most of the culprits are in jail cooling off.

Can you mention some of the cases that have reached a logical end?

There are many of them, like a woman that was arrested for child trafficking. She was caught during the last Christmas period in Onitsha, trafficking four girls from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. We got that information on December 23, 2022. I had to plead with the police, and the court employees, they tidied it up. The courts had already vacated but I pleaded with the magistrate; she came back on December 24 and the court sat and arraigned the woman, and she was remanded in prison. Last month, the culprit was jailed and the children have been enrolled in school in Anambra.

The children are not from Anambra State, but when I looked into their history, I found out that they are orphans. If I tell them to go back to Akwa Ibom where they are from, where will they go? They might still fall victim to the same situation.

What was your childhood like?

I grew up in a very humble background. We are not rich. My mother was a petty trader and my father was a civil servant. We grew up in Ebonyi State and I got married there, though my husband is from Anambra.

How did you meet him?

He saw an industrial little girl in me. The day he met me, I was sweeping our shop for my mother. He approached me and told me he always passed in front of the shop every morning and saw me sweeping and preparing the shop for the day’s activities. I used to go to my mother’s shop every morning to prepare the place before her arrival. At that time, I was 16 years old. Yes, I got married very early.

Did you get married at 16?

Yes, based on where I come from, that was after my Junior Secondary School Three. Then all my age mates were already married. Some even married at 12, others at 13, as of that time. My husband paid my bride price when I was 16, and we got married, but he allowed me to complete secondary education before we wedded.

What did early exposure to marriage teach you and what are the dangers of it?

It was not easy to get married at that age, because one doesn’t even know what one is doing. That is the truth, but it is good when you fall into good hands, someone that knows the importance of education, and that will expose you to have your destiny fulfilled. So, most people dropped out of school. But in my case, I fell into a good hand who allowed me to go to school. On the other hand, the danger in it is if you fall into the wrong hand, one who does not know the importance of exposing you to education. That is where the danger comes for the girl as far as early marriage is concerned.

So, how did he stand out as a suitor?

So many of them(suitors) were there, but he is handsome. When I saw him, I said to myself, “This guy is cute.” His good looks stood him out.

Do you have mentors?

I know I have people I look to, but as a person, God is my mentor. Politically, I have people who have encouraged me. The former chairman of Intercontinental Bank, Chief Raymond Obieri, is my political father.

How do you relax?

Whenever I want to have fun, I love being with my grandchildren. It gives me a lot of joy. My first grandchild will be 12 this year. All my children have given me grandchildren, they love me so much and I love them so much, so I stay with them. So, I relax with them most of the weekends. I go to their homes to be with them.

What is your saddest moment in life?

You know life blows hot and cold, but the most important thing is that at the end of the day, everything is okay. The worst times I know I have I wouldn’t want to mention or discuss it, but to the glory of God, everything came and ended in the glory of God. I am a child of grace, if I can say it that way. I am somebody that things happen to by the grace of God and I don’t know how it happens. I wish for something and God grants me that thing

As I told you, my parents were not connected to anybody. I give glory to God at every point. Whenever I have prepared my mind that an opportunity has come to an end, another opportunity to provide service will be opened to me. For example, after I finished serving as a local government chairman, I felt it was all over, but before I knew it, another opportunity to serve came and at the end of the day, I saw myself climbing up. To me, unmerited favour, is what I am enjoying in this life. I never dreamt that one day I will be a commissioner. And that is why in any assignment I am given, I put God first and I do it with all passion. I will always do it as if there is no tomorrow. Public service is about passion, if you have the passion, you will always stand out in public service. (Saturday PUNCH)

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