On Sunday, 10 January 2021, late Iyalode of Egba and Yorubaland, Chief Alaba Lawson spoke with some select journalists at her residence along Quarry Road in Abeokuta, Ogun State, ahead of her 70th birthday on January 18. TheAffairs was there and represents excerpt of the interactive session as Nigeria continues to mourn the business tycoon, educationist and administrator who passed on, at 72, on October 28.
At 70, you still look beautiful, and my colleagues can attest to that, so what is the secret of your beauty?
Thank you for those questions! If I am to meet Jehovah God and He asks me: Alaba Lawson, what do you want at 70? I will tell Him to become closer to you, because all along you have never failed me. Am saying it loud and clear, all along Jehovah has never failed me! So, if He hasn’t failed me till now, I would like to move closer and cling onto him so that I will be more victorious in anything I do. Because what else, I cannot spend another 70 years but for every other year He is given unto me, whether 120 years, because Moses never got weakened at 120 and even his eyes never failed him according to the bible. If that has happened, why wouldn’t move closer to my God that if up to now, He has never failed me. When I say He has never failed me, you may not understand fully. Even in the 2020, He removed tears from my eyes when other hope was lost. He lifted me up that people will not mock me, without even taking a kobo from me or going to any babalawo.
If you have contentment and you don’t put anything that will put pressure on your heart. I sleep like a baby!. I don’t harbor any grudges against anybody and so at 70, am closer to my God and at the same time, am very contented.
Women In Politics
Women in politics… If I were created to go into politics, it would have been different. You don’t have to lean on anybody before you go into anything. You listen to your inner being and if it says carry on, you do it the best way and not going to sleep with anybody thinking they will help me, No!. Go there with full mind that I want to do it and you do it right. He will fit you up. If they wake up in the middle of the night to have their meetings, wake up in the middle of the night and have the meetings with them! But don’t loose your self respect and integrity. Once you loose your self respect and integrity, you are gone. So for those women in politics, let them do the right thing, at the right time and I know by the time we have female president in this great country, things will change. For me to become the first female president of NACCIMA wasn’t easy but the rest is history and I have not become the president but also left my footprint in the sand of time there. So you can see for what it takes for women in politics to be bold, strong and have a mind of go for it and get it!.
As a former president of NACCIMA, I will like you comment on the issue of border closure and the re-opening?
Well the borders has been opened now. But the government needs to carry the stakeholders along whenever they want to take any decision. There are two sides to a coin, the theory and the practical. Even the people who are writing the theory, and those writing the policies which they are forming and then there are people who carries it out as practical, just like in the school. And so, for them to close the border for so long, they should have carried the Stakeholders along. I remembered during those days of late Adeyemi Lawson, late Henry Fajemorokun, Akin George, Baba S L Edu, our fathers in the chamber movement, and also Bashorun Kola Daisi in Ibadan. Every September, they will call them into meetings to rub minds with the government of the day. They started it in Lagos, and later shifted it to Aso Villa. They call it Pre Budget, and this it to let them know what their contributions toward the following year budget would be. So, they should have gathered all of us, a Chambers of Commerce and associations and ask for their view instead of just closing the border. Yes, our neighbors can be very nasty, being that our borders are porous but what are we doing towards that. Now, they closed the borders and our economy thrived, however there are some areas that have suffered, even our people at the boundaries.
Your efforts on gender equality
Well, once upon a time there was gender inequality. We are clamoring for the girl child, women emancipation etc, there were efforts to make sure there were no violence when it comes to the female gender. As much as I believe in gender equality, as much as believe in a society free of violence against the female gender, which is very rampant. I want us to know that Jehovah created a man and a woman. It is a team work to come together. A woman that left her parents home to live with a man who left his parents home to live with the woman, not that they were brought up together. They have different backgrounds. They need to live together in peace and Understand each other. And that is why I will advocate for years of mentoring each other, so that they will court each other and understand if they can live together, so that we can eliminate violence against women.
During our time, it was minimal. Most of the young men and women now are always on drugs, even from very well to do family. Now, all we clamor for is the girl child, women empowerment but a danger is looming and by the time we lift the girl Child up to the height of the society, and we neglect the boy child. Who is the girl child going to marry? Is it a carpenter or a drop out? God that has given us the two genders, let is raise the two together without leaving any behind. That is why I believe in mixed school. They learn early to respect themselves. So therefore, we must not do things to the extreme of clamoring for the girl child alone.
As an Educationist ma, how would you describe Nigeria Education sector?
That’s a very good question. Nelson Mandela once said, ” Education is the only way out to move any nation forward”, that is people must know what the life around them is. The Education in Nigeria is not the same when we started school. I went to school during aba Awolowo free Education. In the primary section, I could take a piece of paper and read when I was third term primary 1. Teachers were very contentious, hardworking and not those hawking everything at the boot of their cars, while they leave the classes. So the system of Education, we were then using January to December curriculum of 3 terms. Suddenly, because most of them will like to go for holiday for summer, they change it from July to the follow August. It’s not right!.
They don’t carry the Stakeholders along and we are lacking in Education today because we haven’t gotten more contentious teachers. Once upon a time they change us from 5 years which we enjoyed to 6334. If the 6334 was well followed, we may have gotten it right!
You are a grand patron in Ogun NUJ. How would you describe the Nigerian Journalist and what can be done to improve on the practice?
Coming closer to the Journalists since 1982 when I was appointed the matron before finally appointed the grand matron of the Union, is that I believe for any business to survive or thrive, you must good backing of Journalism. If not for the Journalists, Nigeria wouldn’t be where we are today…! They have done so well to expose so many things even some sacrificed their lives. Bringing out evils being perpetrated by government and individuals, so they have done well. Even during the thick crisis in Nigeria, when they switched off all the lights at the airport just to bring someone into the country, if not for Journalists, how would we have known? But I still want you to do more especially in Ogun State.
Over the years, you have been a recipient of so many awards and recently, the Ooni of Ile awarded you with the Amazon Award. How does that make you feel?
Well, the Ooni must have seen his reasons for giving me that award and he said it at the ceremony. That he has watched with keen interest my activities during the chamber movement and also since he came on board as the Arole Oduduwa, Ooni of Ile. To me, that award I felt fulfilled, as an Amazon he called me. If I have not done very well, they won’t have given me the award of Amazon!. So, for recognizing me, and people like Kabiyesi, Iku Baba yeye the Alafin of Oyo, Sultan of Sokoto, and even baba Obasanjo was the one who presented me the Award really makes me feel that I should not wait but to work more to get higher. So, for that I felt fulfilled, that even at 70 I can be so recognized.
If you come to my school, by 6:30am I am already at the gate!. To monitor what is going on and to see who and who flogs a child. So you can see, I haven’t left myself loose as I keep on working. But one thing is that I have a physio therapist that comes thrice a week. He will do the massage and we do they dancing exercises to keep me fit. But I think everything falls again on the grace giving to me my God. Because, if He hasn’t given me that good health, I won’t be able to be doing that. Just like you lubricate an engine, that is what the physiotherapist is doing. Another thing is that l eat alot of green Vegetables, and I eat good food at the right time. I don’t over eat myself and if you balance it very well, it will show on your skin and in your daily activities. Also, I take lots of fruits as well.
