Lady Esther Onyebuchi Omaka is from Delta state but married to an Edo state man. Born in Enugu, grew up in Minna, schooled in Ibadan and currently lives in Abuja.
Omaka works as legal officer to the Executive Secretary of the local education authority, she is the Chairman of fund raising, YWCA Nigeria and Chairman, Advocacy and Human Rights of the Federation of Female Lawyers (FIDA).
In this chat with ENE OSANG, the mother of six kids (five males and one female) lamented on the abduction of school girls, describing it as unfortunate
You have a lot to do, how do you manage work and home front successfully?
Now my boys are grown, when they were younger I took to teaching because I married as a grade 2 teacher, later on I read personnel management but I never worked with it because I wanted to raise my children. When they were in secondary school I went to read law.
I have been married for 30years and I never had a house help, all my children do house chores and I made sure from age five they started washing their clothes while I inspect their washing so when they got to secondary school it wasn’t a difficult task for them.
What was your childhood dream?
I married quite early but I always wanted to read law. There was a time I was placed on retrenchment for no just reason and that motivated me the more to study law.
I like the career because it is conducive, as a woman you can decide to work for government or be on your own. I can decide to have my own chambers, even being in government is not too stressful because I have more time now as a lawyer than when I was a teacher.
Tell us about your educational background
I schooled in Minna (before the war) and Enugu where I completed primary an secondary school and proceeded to Auchi Teacher’s College where I got my grade 2. I then proceeded to ABU Zaria for my NCE, it was after my NCE I travelled out of the country, got married and did a diploma in personnel management. When I came back I continued with teaching and afterwards enrolled into University of Abuja to study law. I was studying law, teaching and managing my home at thesame time so it was not really easy doing all that then but I managed my time well.
Tell us about your NGO
The NGO is Young Women Christian Association (YWCA) comprising women from different churches coming together as one. Our headquarters is in Switzerland it started since 1865 formed to give women solace in times of war so they won’t be harassed by soldiers just as it is now and that is what we want to do as Christian Women Association.
We started in Nigeria in Abeokuta in 1906 with our headquarters in Lagos but we don’t have any branch here in Abuja and that is why we organised a fund raising ceremony to build a branch here in Abuja and have a secretariat, hostels where we can accommodate girls at a cheap rate pending when they get a permanent place they want to live. Many girls have fallen victims to men and are now ‘Abuja wives’ and this is the YWCA is trying to help girls avoid.
We are in 27 states in Nigeria and we have 130 branches.
What is your take on the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls recently?
It is so unfortunate and I cannot really believe how girls will be taken away from school like that. We need prayers in the country because I can’t even imagine how you take your child to school and then you don’t know how she is fairing where she is.
What contributions has the YWCA rendered since the abduction?
I was there in the rain with other civil society groups at the Abuja fountain during the 1million match protest to the National Assembly. I was there to represent the YWCA and FIDA alongside other of our members. Nobody likes what is happening infact, there is fear everywhere but I know that God will surely intervene because we want these children to come back alive. We want government to do something because it looks as if the government is not really forceful and its sad because it has taken time. If they had started earlier I don’t think it would get to this level, women are crying because it could be anybody’s child and that is why we are pleading with government to help us bring the girls back alive.
When I watched the video on tv I wept because we don’t know what these children are going through, we don’t know how they feel because they would have been tortured and molested and that is why it is important to think of where these children will start from when they eventually return because they need to complete their education.
So you don’t think government is doing enough to rescue the girls?
Well, they said they are working hard and we are looking unto God because God is the ultimate and I believe the girls will be rescued.
What is your take about foreign interventions?
I think its a welcome idea, let’s see how they will help in rescuing these girls we keep our fingers crossed for good results.
Just recently again the twin bomb blast in just, everybody is living in fear and I think we need to come together and prayer seriously in this country because I think we have wronged God and He is annoyed with us and we need the spirit of God to come back to us.
Do you agree that the missing schoolgirls is a scam as some Nigerians say?
I don’t believe because I saw a woman on the day of protest who said 4 of her girls were among, another man said his daughter is equally there, so are we now saying these people will come out and tell lies?
I have heard people say its not true but God know best, but people have also said they have abducted more girls in the past before the chibok girls and if this had not happened truly, we wouldn’t have heard of the girls that had been taken away before.
Do you think the current situation could lead to the breaking of Nigeria as people speculate?
I think this is leading us to war, Nigerians are peaceful that is why we are still together because if this is happening in other countries they would have been divided. I know God actually placed us in one country but with this, it might lead to war or the breaking of Nigeria. I pray God to continue to intervene because it would have been worse than this. Like I said we all need to pray hard because I think the spirit of God is no more in people.
Is it true that children has gone astray because women now chase careers?
That is true because many parents don’t even know where their children are. Terrorists are born of women and if their parents know them very well they wouldn’t engage in this. Many just give birth to children without training them, parents are supposed to be close to their children, listen to them and know what they are going through but some children are not close to their parents and this is not good.
I and my husband had been kidnapped and I was released to go look for the ransom what those young boys were saying was that there is no job for them in the country and that is why they are into that. I feel government should do something for the young people.
As someone who has lived in the north, how would you compare the north before and now?
It has never been like this, we were in Minna before the war because my daddy worked with the Nigerian railways before then and the north was peaceful. Now if you want to go to the market, shopping centre or when in hold up you are scared unlike before when we walk freely to anywhere. I have been in Abuja since 1985 and we have never had it this way and government has to do something about this situation. I know Boko Haram are faceless so I can’t advise them to dialogue but we need to be fervent in prayers.
What would you advise government concerning Boko Haram’s condition for dialogue?
I know they asked for their men to be released before they can release the girls, let them come out and dialogue and say what those people have done because the girls have done nothing to warrant what they are going through. If they tell government what their problem is because this beyond just hatred for western education now they should release the girls first and see what government can do because I know government will do something if they do.
Do you agree that politicians are the cause of terrorism in Nigeria?
I know they have used these people and now they cannot control them. This should teach us that in politics we don’t need to go war before getting a position as many have lost their lives. Politicians must have spirit of God rather than been violent, we on the other hand should not vote politicians who use thugs into power.
How do you foresee the upcoming elections?
To me I feel we should all put it in prayers that God should take control before then.
Do you think women stand better chances in the upcoming elections considering the political terrain?
We do because there is no position given to a woman that women have not done their best so we need more women in governance. We have not gotten the 35% affirmative action so a lot needs to be done to achieve that, if women are allowed to lead key positions peace will reign in Nigeria, we want a woman President and you will see changes because men have given us a lot of trouble, chaos everywhere.
We want a woman President and women to support women and if we win Nigeria will be a better place to live.
How do you relax?
I don’t really relax much, I like cooking I hardly sleep in the afternoon because am not there. I like watching tv, listening to music but my hobby is cooking and reading.
What are your achievements in life?
Being humble, generous and nice to people to me is achievement. I am happily married with six children; five males and a female and keeping my home for 31 years are great achievements for me.
Do you have any regrets?
I don’t because I married my own friend, anything that will make me sad I put it aside and move forward.
What are your expectations in the next 5 years?
I would be a grandmother, all my children would have graduated though, I have 3 masters holders already so in the next five years I would be done with school fees and all that so I would be looking forward to my children bringing wives home. I also look forward for peace to reign in Nigeria.
What is your advice for women?
Women should make use of what they have in their home. I I know its not easy but most times women train their house girls forgetting their own children. Women should be able to join being house wives to career women. Before I leave my house I know what to do and when I get back I know where to start from. I pray that women train their children especially the girls properly in a nutshell, mothers especially should be close to their children and monitor all their activities.
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