Dr Elizabeth Umeham is National Secretary, Yar’adua/Jonathan Success Movement (YJSM). She returned to Nigeria after many years of sojourn in England. She was Senior Special Adviser to Abia State government during the Orji Uzor Kalu administration. The woman activist says polygamy is indeed, doing women a lot of good. She also said that though slow, Umaru Musa Yar’adua’s government is on course. Excerpts
[b]What is it like returning to Nigeria after having lived across the borders for many years?[/b]Well, there’s no place like home—home is the best place for anyone. When you’re outside the country, you’re in a foreign country.
[b]What is your experience in Nigerian entrepreneurial climate?[/b]I’m self-employed. I have my own NGO and I’m a full time politician. Foremost, business is encouraging in the sense that the present government has given people a sense of belonging—by introducing the micro-finance scheme which has helped a lot of people especially the beginners in the business world. Depending on how much you want to borrow, the terms are there—this is without any collateral. At the same time you can go to your bank and present your project. If the bank buys it, it partners with you.
When I came back in 1999, until three years ago, it had been very rough—absolutely rough. But things began to take better shape in 2007.
And I would call on the Diaspora people to come home. I know there’s the hard side of it but if you make up your mind to come home, you have to face the bad side of it. The determination has to be there. I’ve determined and I’m not going back there. I’ll only go there on holidays or go to source for business partners.
Former President Obsanjo has virtually a globetrotter in the name of seeking foreign investors. But it was said not many foreign investors responded to his calls.
What he did was the basic side of it. He was creating the awareness. This is the time we’re implementing it. And with Umaru Musa Yar’dua’s seven point agenda, you can see—he’s not rushing it(  )! People say he’s very slow. But he’s very calculative and steady. We’ll be there.
But Nigerians are running out of patience. Obasanjo said the same thing wait! wait! these things aren’t done over night but not much was realised after eight years.
Nigerians should give Yar’adua a chance—they shouldn’t run out of patience. This government is only( ) one year and a couple of months old. They should give him more time.
As a member of Yar’adua/Jonathan Success Movement, what indicators could you pin point as marks of a government poised to succeed?
In the first place, it’s there in history that the ministry of the Niger Delta was established. We never had it.bloody hell!!
Two, you can see that he [Yar’adua] has created more ministries—some of these ministries were merged by the Obasanjo administration. This is better because each ministry would take care of its problems.
Three, the question of education, he’s putting the structures together (which structures o). Then you talk about agriculture. You can see he has lifted ban on so many things.
Again, in the areas of health and electricity, he’s putting things in order. [size=14pt]Now[/size], he believes in the rule of law. You could see the judiciary is working well now. Legislators are working well—he’s not interfering with any institution’s work. He doesn’t influence judgments. Whatever the court says, he would say “I’ll abide by the ruling.”
And then of course, transparency is there. He’s fighting corruption in his own way and I believe we can see the results. But he’s taking his time so we don’t repeat past mistakes.
Well, I wouldn’t say there’s no hardship here. But there in England or the United Kingdom, it’s not a bed of roses either. You do all the odd jobs—you don’t do the job that you’re qualified to do.
Two, the discrimination is there. Three, it’s the same routine everyday: go to work, come back, do your house work and see your family or whatever. The decision isyours. It’s a very hard decision because you have everything there, if you’re to compare it with Nigeria. Everything is automatic: you put your clothes in the washing machine, you press the button, it washes. In cooking, the microwave is there, it’s cooking for you. The machine washes the plates and all that. But then, do you have to carry on like that everyday? One’s not growing younger[thats the point of having machine, isnt it?]. I had to make the decision by myself, it’s better to come back home when you’re not too old than as a dead body. You know, because of the mansions we see there, we come home and put the same mansions here and still go back there, only coming here on holidays to stay in the mansions. When you go back, it’s filled with cobwebs, mice and lizards will be living in your house, does it make sense?
You can’t carry the house there to this place so the best thing is whatever you see there, do it there and enjoy it. Those you know you can transport here with you and start life all over. Home is home!
All my children that were born there, I said, let them start coming home, this is their root. Come and develop this country because whatever knowledge we acquire there, we must come home and use it. There, you might be in the minority. You come, you practice what you acquired there and then live your life and wait for your old age. It’s better here than there. It’s hard here, yes! But then if you have to come home one day, why don’t you come now? That’s the bottom-line.
How would you expect the Nigerian Government to implement 7-point agenda in terms of business?
This will reduce unemployment. Many people are dying in silence. They don’t know what to do. Government should establish if possible a ministry where people may be counselling people on daily basis. Because some of them are well read. Some of them may have a lot upstairs but nobody is encouraging them or motivating them. At the time I opened this place, if you saw the type of professionals that were coming, you would be amazed.
We have unemployment body NDE [National Directorate of Employment], what is it doing? Nothing! It’s just like you see the Road Safety Corps on the road, you see the VIO on the road—VIO is doing the job of Safety Corps, Safety Corps is doing the job of VIO, police are doing the job of VIO. I stopped one police and I said, “Are you a VIO? What’s VIO’s job, what’re you doing. Did you see this type of my vehicle declared missing?” I mean, there should be division of labour. When parastatals are established, they should know what they’re supposed to do.
I’ve taken the pains to go to small countries—we keep answering Giant of Africa. We have giants of people who have good ideas, we should use them. How do we use them? Encourage them, motivate them, bring them home! and give them packages so they would not want to leave the country. Some of them get there and they’re killed.
Speak about the women question in Nigeria.
Yes, I wouldn’t say gender equality, I would say we should be gender sensitive. Few women that have been given the opportunity to serve have proved to be worthy of those positions. When I was a liaison officer, I left a legacy behind. You can go to the Abia State liaison office and find out. I was there for three-and-a-half years, I did my job with the best of my knowledge. My boss was very happy and if I indicate that I want that position today, he’ll give it to me. Because I left a legacy behind! And for all these sensitive jobs that require accountability, they should keep on trying women. Because Nigeria is like a kitchen. Without a woman, it’s completely empty.
In fact, in each parastatal, they should put a woman. Not as a head but to support whoever might be the head. If a woman is the head, a man should be next—if a man is the head, let the woman be next—to work as a team. That’s what’s happening in England. They don’t look at their sex. They look at what you have up here [points at the head], what you can offer.
Is polygamy really helping or it’s rather worsening the plight of Nigerian women?
It’s helping a lot of women. It is! Some of them are frustrated. When a woman is over 35, you know she’s watching the time. A woman at 35 isn’t yet married—a man at 35, it’s even the beginning of life. But a woman at 35—by the time she adds another five years, she’s hitting the menopause. So chances of having children are no more there. Therefore, the earlier they get hooked with a man, whether married—I wouldn’t support breaking homes. If the man and the wife support the coming of the second wife, fair enough! But don’t break a home because if you break somebody’s home, someone else might break yours. So men should marry as many as they can maintain.
she is a 'Dr.' too |
