Mrs. Mary Oyere Aibangbe an Edo state indegene who has lived 40 years of her life in Kano state is the National President, association of Women In Colleges of Education (WICOE). In this chat with ENE OSANG, she lamented the current security challenges in the country, regretting that terrorism now threatens the education system.
Abaingbe also feels the ongoing national conference is not a solution to Nigeria’s problems
Can we meet you?
I am Mary Abaingbe I am from Oronigbe in Orionwo local government area of Edo state, I am married with five children, and I’m a grandmother as well.
Tell us about your educational background
I went to army day secondary school in Kano state where I did two years and moved to Federal Government Girls College (FGGC) in Kazaure,. Afterwards I spent three years at ATC ABU for my NCE, and proceeded for a two years B.ed programme in 1992.
I then went for my 1st masters in library science from Bayero University Kano (BUK) and finished in 2001, meanwhile my 1st degree was in social studies education while my NCE was in English/Geography.
After my NYSC at ATC ABU which is now federal college of education Kano in 1994, I did part time lecturing there, then precisely in August 1995 I was employed as a permanent staff. I lived in the north until 2013 when I moved to Abuja because we were affected during the post election riots of 2011. Our house, my car was brought down so we started thinking of going down to the south and I had to go on secondment in the university of Benin.
Currently, I am doing my second masters in curriculum studies and social studies at the university of Maiduguri, I am also a principal lecturer at NCE kano.
How did you become the National President of the WICOE and what is the association’s mandate?
I joined the association at my school level where I became the FCE chapter secretary from 1999 to 2011. I served under two presidents who are late associate professor Enai John who was in Nassarawa state University, and Hajiya Uwani Mohammed of the federal college of education. Maybe perhaps the way I served them, my President encouraged me to go for National executive so in 2011 the conference was held in FCE kano and my chapter President said she wanted me to be in the National exco so I contested to be the treasurer unopposed and won. After the two years tenure we went to Asaba for another election and I still won. On our mandate, we are association of Women in Colleges of Education and we help in the development of our women academically first of all, and that is why we would hold a conference soon. We organize activities in our various schools because every COE has its own chapter of the association and in these chapters they do things like daycare for student mothers, nursery and so on. They also engage on different activities depending on the needs of the area and also work hand in hand with the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS).
How has the association affected the lives of women outside the COE?
It does affect women lives because we encourage our women not to concentrate on their colleges alone but go to their wider community as well, lease with the widows, girl child and give them skills that will enable them function. In my own school, we had skills acquisition programme for the widow’s, divorcée’s and girl child hawking on the streets in the evenings when they might have finished their days activities. After their graduation at the end of six months we recruit new set we have been able to achieve this with approval from head of the community leader.
How do you carry the women along?
To carry women along you have to have extra tolerance and patience because when women come to you they come with their problems from home, frustration in the society and all that. For example when a widow meets me, she knows me very well but I don’t know her that much and perhaps she comes to you for inquiry knowing fully well that a word from you can kill her or bring her back to life. And so you need extra grace to communicate with her effectively perhaps what she wants to do is to transfer aggression on you but when you answer her appropriately and make her feel like a human being she would be happy. You might be talking, and you won’t know you are addressing her situation and you make her smile, God has given me that gift that even when they are trying to be difficult, the moment I talk to them they calm down and we move along.
How do you manage as a mother, wife and career woman successfully?
It is not easy but if you plan and organize your programmes you can achieve your aim. I gave birth to all my children while in school, sometimes after exams I will go and give birth and that gave me a lot of experience about life, you know its not easy doing that, and that is why I always tell my fellow women ‘don’t look at the mountain just climb it. If you keep looking at mountains you will see different shape that will discourage you’. When you talk to some women about going to school they would say no money and all that, but they don’t know that school is not only about reading and writing, its about association and you come in contact with people you will ordinarily not meet in the streets. You could be in the same class with the wife of the governor of your state and she looks at you when you don’t have money to buy books and then she offers to help because perhaps what she has you don’t have and vice versa. Like the saying ‘iron sharpeneth iron’ before you know it you have moved from a particular class not in education but in association and things will start working for you. So, school is both a planned and unplanned curricular.
As somebody who schooled in the north, how would you describe girl child education in the north?
When I was schooling the girl child was not recognized as someone who should go to school, but today there are many northern women in key positions. In my state Kano (I call Kano my state because I have lived there for 40 years). Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso is doing a lot like he provides school vehicles for girl children and so before they close from school vehicles are on standby so the hazards they used to face while coming back from school is taken away and this has encouraged many parents to send their children to school knowing they are in safe hands. Even when the child is bethroded already the man would not worry because he knows the girl will not walk back from school for other men to look at her, he allows her go to school knowing she is safe, and that has really encouraged parents.
The freedom of girl child especially in the north has been threatened by terrorists, how would you describe that situation?
Terrorist threat is not only on girl child but on education generally, when they went to federal government college, they burnt children and killed especially the boys and we only heard that they took some girls. That shows that something inside them told them not to kill the girls so, I would not say the threat is only towards the girl child but to education generally whether tertiary, primary or secondary.
How do you feel seeing the town you grew up under serious security threats?
It is disheartening. A town where you can travel and leave your house in the care of an indegene, and they welcome you with smiles when you return suddenly, everybody now looks at each other suspiciously is not something anybody wishes for.
A fast growing economy suddenly is now dwindling because of insecurity is not something anybody would want to talk about whether or not you are from that area. We should know this insecurity challenges is not only in the north, its like a wild fire which if not quenched may escalate to other areas because it is a network. With the proliferation of GSM one can make contact and cause havoc anywhere, so it must be tackled with all sincererity of purpose so it doesn’t spread because it could come in different forms and shapes and every hands must be on deck by playing our roles by being security conscious either as an individual, security personnel, military, etc. We should report any suspicious movement or baggage and don’t let anyone drop a bag with you and leave because it is no longer business as usual.
For example, there was a day I saw some young boys screeching cars around my area and I called the defense hq only for them to come and discovered they were political party campaigners. What was important was that I have alerted the authorities and they even thanked me at the end of the day. Even as a student you can do something, like when my school was almost attacked in Kano they came but saw we had not started the sunday service so the went to Bayero University you know why? The people in the compound noticed strange faces around and they refused to start the service, and after the terrorists waited and service would not start that they went to Bayero university so if the people were not conscious, they would have been attacked so that is what I meant by all hands being on deck.
Do you agree that there is foot-dragging by FG to standardize our education system?
Yes I think so, the problem with our government is with implementation because we have beautiful policies that can make Nigeria one of the best places in the world but they are not implemented.
We must rule out saboteurs for Nigeria to grow it is difficult and of course those people may have good qualification but they don’t have the attitude towards it.
Are you saying things can never work out well?
Things can only work when we have the right frame of mind as well as develop positive attitudes, by moving away from ourselves and see the country as something that can be nurtured, if the country is buoyant and individuals are well off we won’t have much problems.
The President can’t do everything and if we develop an individual and the country is not developed its a waste of time because the moment that individual leaves we”ll be back to square one so, we must stop the attitude of being careless and things would get better. We have a few Nigerians who there work speaks for them, if you are hardworking you don’t need to campaign in politics because your work would be your campaign.
What inspired you into the teaching profession?
You would be shocked I desperately wanted to be a Police officer after school because I believed I have good ideas that can transform the Nigerian Police Force, and to achieve this I must be a the top management cadre to advice but unfortunately we don’t always get what we want. I am happy that I am a teacher because it has developed me in such a way that when I see the students I taught come to tell me how I have impacted in their lives, I am happy.
At what point did you decide to be a teacher?
I got married and was nolonger in control of my life. Whenever I talked about being a police officer my husband just looks at me and laugh so I knew there was no hope, he wanted his wife to be a teacher and I think most men want that because of their children.
I began teaching grudgingly but as time went on I started enjoying it, I also believe that anything worth doing is worth doing well so I put in all my efforts and today I’m happy.
What would you advise most teachers who take up teaching job just because there was no alternative?
Sometimes like I said earlier, most times I had never done what I really wanted in my life. There were courses I wanted to study but I never got them and I found myself in areas I don’t want to but I believe if you want a particular thing and you get another perhaps, that is God’s plan for you so put in your best and God will elevate you.
If I had done the courses I wanted maybe I won’t be where I am today. I wanted to study English, wanted to go abroad and then marry a white man because I feel blackmen don’t take care of their wives but as God would have it I did not only marry a black man but a black man from my village. I always said I wanted 2 boys and 2 girls when am married but today I have 5 girls but each time I look at them I appreciate and thank God for my life and that is why I have peace of mind because some women would have killed themselves for having no son.
Do you think there is hope for teachers in terms of good salary?
I will tell you there is hope because compared to what they were receiving before, their lives have improved and many people want to be teachers or lecturers now. When I go to my bank and I see bankers applying for PGDE they ask me how to go about it because they have seen I am doing well. When it is time for recruitment of teachers you would see millions of people troop in and that is why the federal government is insisting teachers must be professionals hence the teachers registration council so as to know the professionals from the auxiliary teachers so, if there is no improvement in their remuneration no teacher would want to register.
On a lighter note what are your hubbies?
I am news crazy and I read a lot and also an eclectic when it comes to watching movies because I learnt from those I have watched.
Do you have any regrets in life?
Naturally human beings do have regrets I wish my country were moving faster than this, whenever people talk about my country in other countries tears run down my eyes and I wish people could say good things about my us. I don’t watch football but each time my country scores a goal I feel on top of the world, I feel very comfortable in my country that most times when I travel out I just want to come back almost immediately. I have a flair for my country and sometimes when I talk about her I am not happy and this makes me miserable because from every indications our leaders come with good ideas but it ends in Abuja and doesn’t flow down.
I will not believe my country is growing until I see the common man have water in his house and not buy or begging someone who has borehole.
What would you say you have achieved in life?
Having children and bringing them up to marriage age, you will agree with me its not an easy task. Not everybody has the opportunity of going to school but I have gone to school, though not yet on Phd level I am grateful to God for the level I have reached. God has made me in such a way that when I come in contact with people its not until I give them money but I contribute to their life and for me that is an achievement because it is not everybody that has such gifts.
Where do you see yourself in the nearest future?
I can’t tell, like I told you not all I ever wanted to do came my way so I cannot say, and I have decided to just surrender to God and let his will be done because all my efforts in the past turned another way so I just let God take control and if it is God’s will my future ambition is to adopt many children. I have only girls and gradually they will all get married and I can’t stay alone in my house so I should be able to impact knowledge on the less privileged ones.
What is your advice for women?
They should look beyond themselves and think of how they can contribute to the life of another woman and not just thinking about what they will put on. We were at one national council summit and I was just looking at all the women and I though that as many as we are there, if each of us adopts a girl child each and train, it will go a long way in impacting on the girl child instead of spending so much to look flamboyant or outdo another person. We have many influential women in National Assembly and other places who, if they want to train 10 girls they can. I am not talking about trafficking girls or child labour I mean proper training.
What is your take on the National Conference?
I think we are just dancing round and round because we all know the problem even a blind man knows Nigeria problem and it is not something we sit to discuss. We have had a lot of conferences, panels and so on the problem is with implementation of policies. A new government would come and all these may be swept under the carpet and money would be wasted most of the delegates were in government, they know the problem so why are we doing this? If the President feels that this confab will solve the problem its okay but as far as I am concerned, there is nobody in Nigeria that doesn’t know our problem and we don’t need to call a conference but on the other hand, maybe some of the delegates have some hidden talents we have not explored, so let’s be hopeful that God can turn a useless situation to a useful one.
