Interview

Lessons Life Has Taught Me – Dr. Elizabeth Ikem

Dr. Elizabeth IkemProvost, Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Dr. Elizabeth Ikem, in this interview with journalists, talks about her life, women in politics and challenges facing the educational sector. ORUKPE NELSON was there.
How would you assess the level of Nigerian women’s participation in politics?
Well, I think there are more women in politics today than it used to be. It is one thing to be interested and another thing to be accepted. We see acceptance and we are seeing women bringing skills and expertise into politics. I think it is commendable and I hope it will get better in future.
Most women consider politics as a dirty game, do you agree with that?
All Nigerians know the issue involved in our politics today – corruption. And I am sure that is what makes people say it is dirty. Dirty or not, if you are called into a place to participate, if that is the divine destiny God has for you, you should not be afraid. The One that called you will give you the grace to stand out, because when there is darkness and you are light, you are bound to shine. You can even be the agent of change, because we are looking for people that will come into a place that is rotten and turn it around. So any woman that is convinced and has the inner conviction that it is the calling of God for her and she is sure, she should go ahead and be the agent of change in whatever area or level of politics. She should go there and be an agent of transformation, agent of change and let good come into that area that is bad. Who knows? Through you, God can bring the transformation we are looking for in Nigeria. So, we shouldn’t be afraid.
What is your view on the level of girl-child education in Nigeria?
I think it is also getting better. For instance, there was a time journalism was the exclusive preserve of men. Many wouldn’t want to go into it because of all kinds of stereotypes, norms, traditions, beliefs; some founded some unfounded, but today it is different. So, it is a thing of joy to know that those areas where we used to have just men, women are going into them. And journalism is one area I think the in-take of women have equaled and surpassed the men. You go to the class and you see more girls coming in; the areas they have branched into are a different matter after graduation. But at least we are seeing more and more of them. In other areas, like Mechanical Engineering, Medicine, Law, those areas that we used to have just men, the girls are equally  there now. I think it is commendable and we hope that it will get better. And I tell you that young girls of these days are goal-getters. They are very adventurous, so I’m not surprised that they are breaking all barriers and surging forward.
Our society is male-dominated, despite the outstanding performances by women in leadership. What would you say are the major factors hindering women’s role in leadership in this country?
Traditionally, the dominant role of the man is there. In the work place, I think that with the fight for equality over the years, since 1975 when the declaration of the year for the women and the emphasis on equality also for the girl-child, I think the door is open for us as we learn. I think that in the world of competition, it is left for you to put in your best. In the western world, if you put in your best as a woman and you feel cheated, there are also liberation groups and activist bodies that can fight for you. If you have a genuine case where you believe you are qualified, perhaps a better candidate for a position, you can fight for it. But the hindrance is usually the woman. Often the woman, because in her psyche, in her thought pattern, in her attitude, she limits herself. We give excuses and we are not ready to stretch ourselves. We draw back but we shouldn’t. Also, some of us want to play the weaker side and flaunt our beauty. We think that that is a better price to pay, what we call bottom power and all those feminine attitudes that we want to play. We think that is the ticket we should play. I think we should begin to put a stop to it. Those are some of the obstacles but I am glad to know that more women are holding positions of power today. They are there because they merit it, they earn it and they deserve it.
What lessons has life taught you?
Life has taught me that there is only one God to fear. Anybody that fears God is bound to do well in life, in the sense that your fear of God will bring the wisdom of God into your life. When you have the wisdom of God in your life, you are bound to have an understanding of the purpose of God for your life. When you trail yourself along the path of God’s divine purpose and destiny for your life, you will make it in life. Making it is not about making money. It is about fulfilling the very purpose for which God created you. Every time I say to myself that I just want to be all that God wants me to be, that is the greatest thing. Ultimately, we are going to stand before Him one day. What is He going to say to us? Did you do what I asked you to do? That is a lesson of life.
As the first female provost, what would you say has sustained the journey so far?
It is the same principle of fear of God, justice, equity, fair play and giving our best. You see, sometimes people will misunderstand you, but as a leader, you go the extra mile to carry everyone along because you are the vision driver. So what have sustained me are these principles that I have mentioned to you. Everybody that is created on the surface of the earth particularly if you fear God, you should realize that God has a purpose for you, so when He sent you to a place, especially, to be a leader, there is a purpose for going there and this is always my prayer that every man and woman in the position of authority in this country will understand that. But they are in that position not for themselves, but for a divine purpose, that divine purpose is usually for the good of humanity and for the glory of God. So if you operate that way, whatever challenges that will come your way, because challenges will come, God raises people to help you just as He did for us here. We have been very supportive, forward looking governing council board members who are ready, who see this place as a place that should be raised for the good of this nation and humanity. So, once you are focused on the purpose of God, God will raise vision helpers and make provisions where there is none.
You lectured at Mass Communication Department, University of Lagos. You also taught at Times Journalism Institute, an editor of Home Economics Science in the defunct Daily Times of Nigeria and now provost NIJ, what is responsible for the decay in the educational sector?
Oh, you’ve done some research. That is a big one. You know I told you about destiny. I had wanted to be a lawyer just like my father said to me but God in His infinite mercy knew that going into the path of Journalism and going through all these will bring me to give back into the industry what the industry puts inside of me. I would say that those of us who are opportune to manage the educational sector today should borrow some of the things that we had in our own time. Take for instance, we reverence but these days teacher is not anything. Why? Where is the reverence for the teachers? Did we mortgage it? Did we sell it? We have mortgaged some of the things that made the education imparting knowledge in students which used to be before, we’ve mortgage it today. A child doesn’t have to be in class if he can buy ‘hand out’. Why? It wasn’t so before. If a teacher teaches and believes that you need this material, the material is handed over to the class captain. They make photocopies or buy your books, recommended books, at the school bookshop. I remember in my days how I travelled to the University of Benin bookshop to look for text books to buy, recommended text books given to you at the beginning of every session. These are your course outlines and you go and get the books. But these days, students don’t buy books anymore. Teachers turn their note books into textbooks for students to buy, insist that you must buy, so a lot of distortion in the system which we need to clean up. Don’t forget you are breeding people with distorted perception, if we don’t correct it, they too will go replicate the same. So it is a clarion call; we must produce integrity, people who were groomed.
We must be different because we are producing leaders of people, kingmakers, because that is what we are as journalists. We are kingmakers by the things we write, we are attitude molders, so if we are going to truly influence the society the way we ought to, then we start by ensuring that they themselves pay the required price to be people of integrity, discipline, well groomed, and well taught that can now talk to people outside without being hypocrites.
What event led to your knowing God that you are now a deaconess with TREM?
I am not just a deaconess, I have moved from being a deaconess, I am a pastor. What led to my salvation? My Salvation came a long time ago. You know in life, when we got saved they used to say salvation was only for the uneducated, the poor and all that. Thank God who had changed that now, you can see those people who are well educated, God is bringing them into the fold. When I got saved, there was hollow in my life, I had all the degrees, married with children, and have everything that anybody could desire as a young lady. But at a point, I began to feel that my life was not complete and I remember as I got sick for two weeks, I realised there was a need for that hollow in my life to be fulfilled. I decided to visit a friend of mine whose name I will not disclose. She is a prominent person and we were classmates in the university. She said to me, ‘’you know all those things you were talking about don’t bring joy, the true joy is in Christ Jesus, what you need, Lizzy is to know Jesus’’. God knows how to prepare us. We meet in different ways when we read the Bible. God knew that to be able to reach the gentiles – highly educated, elitists -if you need to reach them, you would also need somebody that can relate with them. My friend told me I should give my life to Christ and I did that. It has been wonderful, that hollow was filled and you find out that whatever you are, you are nothing if you don’t have Christ. I think that was what was missing in my life and I debunked that idea then that it is only for the poor people because they are poor that is why they need Christ. But it is not; everyone of us needs Christ, the high, low and the mighty without Christ our lives are empty.
What has been the secret of your marital success?
Jesus is the secret. I thank God for the salvation of the soul of my husband and my family. You know when God is at the centre of whatever you are doing, you are bound to succeed. It is not that you will not have challenges. Of course, you will have challenges, but in the boat where there is difficulty and crisis He is there with you, that boat can’t sink. Any marriage that has crisis is bound to weather the storms. No matter what, the crisis will keep you together. I think that is the secret.
As a role model, what is your advice to the youth?
Well, my advice is that every young person should strive to be all that God wants them to be. It is not about you as an individual; it is about God who sent you into this world. My Bible says that children are a heritage of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is His reward. So every young person should realise that they are here for a purpose. They are the next generation leaders in different locations, in different arms of government of this nation. This generation will come and go, they are the next ones. So when a young person understands that and links up with God, he finds his purpose, he finds his destiny and that’s what should drive them, keep them from trouble and will keep them from peer pressure. If you understand that you are created uniquely and for unique purpose, you won’t want anybody to pressurise you to be like them or to follow them. These are some of the principles that we sell to our young ones here and our children that they are fearfully and wonderfully made. Don’t let anybody say any other thing to you; God has a purpose for you.