By Christy Anyanwu
Dr. Siju IIuyomade, convener of the Arise Women Conference, a faith-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) for women empowerment, and the Handmaidens Women in Leadership series, is an accomplished lawyer, speaker and activist. When she enters any gathering, her poise, attire and confidence stand her out as larger than life. One thing you cannot take away from this woman of God is her humility and love for people. Whether rich or downtrodden, she hugs people and always wants to put a smile on every face. She is the wife of the special assistant to the General Overseer, Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Christian Social Responsibility, and pastor in charge of RCCG, Region 20, Pastor Idowu Iluyomade.
At a recent engagement with the media to herald the forthcoming Arise Women Conference 2023, with the theme “Step Up,” she spoke about a number of issues and what to expect at this year’s conference, as well as activities earmarked to take place before the event in Lagos.
As the convener of Arise Women Conference, what informed your starting the programme 15 years ago?
We saw a vacuum in our nation. We were not afraid to step into the space, not funded by any organisation but just a group of women bringing about change and a revival and a revitalisation of our nation. Our nation was growing and has been growing for decades through so many problems in health care delivery and education, particularly for the girl-child. We also found that, with infrastructure, there were no roads, no water. It didn’t matter which headquarters or capital city we were in, we saw bushmen, as they are so called today, without clothing; a lot of the people in those villages surrounding us could not even eat two meals a day or do anything. We had children dying and men dying all around us. So, Arise decided to confront these issues. The word that announces our national anthem says, Arise O Compatriots. So, arise, women. Don’t be afraid or ashamed to arise. You don’t need money to arise; you only need the guts, the power and the emotion. The compassion to want to stand up not only for yourself but also for the majority of people. For children, for men, who else would better do this but a woman? The hands that rock the cradle rule the world.
It’s not about gender equality but gender affirmation. The woman is the first teacher. The woman is the first caregiver. The woman gives birth to male and female children in a home. When she gives birth, she does not discriminate. She wants the best for every child. But it is funny that most men grow up and decide to see us as ‘women.’ We are their mothers and because we stand in that place we cannot allow them to fail and they should not allow the woman to be submerged or trodden upon or stamped down on or discriminated against.
What was it like growing up in Lagos and the memories you still keep at heart?
When I went to Queens College in 1974, my mother was widowed, very early. I was 14 years old when my father died and she had five children. I was the first. In her humorous state, in all her problems, she always said we all had to go to federal government schools. The school fees then was N30, 000, for full boarding. Now, we pay millions of naira to send a child to school and they don’t even come out with the best results. In Lagos, we had LMTS. Anybody could board a cab. There was no kidnapping. There was no stealing. You could leave your door open in this same Lagos, whether you lived in ikoyi, Ajegunle or Okokomaiko. Everybody, the whole community, looked after each child. I grew up in Lagos when, if they were doing their Muslim festival, they brought their meat, if you like don’t eat it. When we were celebrating Christmas, they went and bought Christmas cards and celebrated with us. Do you know something? I see it happening again in Nigeria.
What are the other things you are passionate about?
I keep telling people that I went to the best school in the world, Queens College, Lagos. There’s no such school. If you count the newsmakers, the shakers, they came from Queens College. I know some people would talk about their schools (laughs), I only know about my school. Many of those schools were there at a particular time in the history of this nation, extremely good schools that produced the very best in our society: doctors, lawyers, artistes, musicians, and so many others. Now, we can’t fund tertiary education, people have to be minting money to go to private universities.
We have built schools in many villages. I am talking about education. In one of the villages as well, in the village where bushmen dwell, some wore clothes, some didn’t. A lot of children gathered around us and I just picked a little boy, four years old. I asked him, “What would you like to become in the future?” I will never forget. Very tiny boy. And he said, “I want to be an aeronautical engineer.”
In this village? Where you have no clothes? We are sometimes killing the future of our country. Can every child be given education up to tertiary level and there? The Arise Women Conference is holding on October 28, their excellencies will all gather. Do you know why I bring them in? No man is an island. I can’t cover the whole of Nigeria alone.
You are a woman of lofty dreams and you do gigantic things, but what are your fears and challenges in terms of cash when planning to do these lofty things?
If you are waiting to get the full amount of money to start a business, you will wait for a long time. I started my law firm because I went somewhere and they told me the amount of salary they would pay me. Don’t wait to have everything before you start a venture. I am a funny person and I think my makeup is so strange. The people who know me very well would tell you I am very optimistic. All I think about is a solution. My women look at me and think, how can I dream so large? I dream as if I own the world. That’s how my brain works. I think, because of that, I’m able to go to these remote villages in the country. I don’t care how much I need to spend. If it’s my last kobo, I’m ready to spend it. I’m a faith person, God supplies every single need. I built a secondary school in the North when I wasn’t sure how the money would come; the hospital, we built it, we didn’t know we could. I don’t fear anything. I’m sorry, I don’t count the cost. I face where I’m going and I trust that somehow I will get there. You may think it is eccentric; it’s not eccentric. It’s the truth of my life.
What is the Nigeria of your dreams?
Nigeria is a great nation. I’m proudly Nigerian. I can never Japa. I knew that from day one. I’m too proud a Nigerian to go anywhere. I will make it. I will succeed and my generation will succeed here. I have too much of a black man’s blood flowing in my veins. (Citing ‘Africa my Africa’ poem) I’m too proud to give up my nationality. I left the law school in ‘84 and as soon as I left I knew what I wanted. My husband today was my boyfriend. I started my law firm immediately and I told him to come out from where he was working to be my senior partner. We started the journey and, today, it’s yielded much dividend. The Bible says the head that is down needs no fall. I’m content all round. It doesn’t matter who is governing, as long as the consciousness of the nation is on the right track. Whoever is there must listen to you and listen to me. That is what matters. We are the people and democracy is the government of the people for the people by the people. Where are the people? Are we speaking up? Are we telling them what we want? Are we fighting to ensure that those things are done?
We want to see Nigeria return to that place of glory and take it further. Education was available to each child, not based on privileges, not based on money. If you were smart you went to the best schools. Queens College had a quota system, only on merit, for the best students across the nation. That is the place we need to go back to, and that is my desire every time. I want to see us well educated, well comported, not getting rowdy. If you have things you are struggling with or you don’t like that government is doing, if you even want to stage a peaceful protest, please, come up with a solution, don’t just protest. Don’t stupidly riot and don’t provide a solution. Don’t destroy the little infrastructure we have. I pray for the betterment of this nation. I pray for us to be one people. We want finance, aviation, transportation, we want big ones (as women). We don’t want to be given stereotypical ministries.
The Pink bucket is synonymous with your NGO. Can you tell us more about this?
Wherever you see Arise, you will see our Pink bucket. This is a bucket of hope for compassion. We do not decide as to who gets this bucket. Any man, any woman, anybody who wants it, the elite, poor, whatever your religious background may be, we take this bucket to every doorstep. This bucket will be delivered immediately after the conference to as many local government areas as we can touch and reach. We have been doing this for many years. We are doing it because we believe that, in that bucket, there will be food for somebody to eat. In that bucket will be soap for somebody to wash, there will be salt and sugar, fruits, matches, cooking cubes, among other items. Globally, people are walking on the 14th; we have different clusters of 10 to 20 people in different countries coming out for a walk on October 14.
As it is in our calendar, the Arise Women Conference is in the month of October. We have also earmarked activities to commemorate the 15th anniversary, to the glory of God.
On the 14th, there is the Arise Walk for Life, in Victoria Island, Lagos. On the 20th is the Arise Golf Tournament, taking place at Ikoyi Club, and on the 21st is Arise Football Academy. The 28th will see the father of all the events: Arise Women’s Conference.