Eugenia Abu uncut @ 50

Mrs. Abu, you just turned fifty. How significant is this to you? It’s a milestone. Think about it, being half a century old has to be a big deal (Laughs). But seriously, there are many people who do not make it to even half my age so I am truly grateful to God. It is […]

Mrs. Abu, you just turned fifty. How significant is this to you?

It’s a milestone. Think about it, being half a century old has to be a big deal (Laughs). But seriously, there are many people who do not make it to even half my age so I am truly grateful to God. It is quite significant because I can honestly say I have the benefit of experience. I can tell you how things were when I was nine and when I was twenty. I can also tell you how Nigeria has changed significantly over the years .I have learnt about love and betrayal and I have seen the various sides of human nature. I have been loved and I have been deceived. I am the better for it and much wiser. I am truly a student of life.

I saw a picture of you at the exhibition, part of the four-day event to mark your birthday. You were nine then and seemed so determined. Did you have any notion then what you wanted to do with your life?

I had no clue. It was a picture taken by our school photographer. I had arrived secondary school at nine years old. I was younger than most but I held my own. It seems since then I have been back and forth in school all my life. (Laughs)

That picture got me thinking how little we know of your childhood. What was childhood like for you?

Have you thought that it may have been deliberate? I am a public persona who likes to keep my private life private. People already know so much about me by virtue of my career that I resolved from the beginning that I must keep some part of my life shielded. But I would oblige you just a little bit. My childhood was the best anyone could get. I had listening parents who believed very much in education and also believed a child should learn some aspects of school life through play. My parents Mr and Mrs Amodu were phenomenal. She was medical personnel, a hospital matron, a top nursing official and at a time, a midwife, and he was a university lecturer and later a permanent secretary. We lived in a big house on the campus of ABU, Zaria opposite Amina Hall with large grounds and lots of fruit trees. It was a beautiful house. We picnicked a lot when we travelled around Nigeria and my father had a huge library so I disappeared in there a lot. There were eight children and we cooked a lot. All of this made me an excellent cook and a creative person. I had a great childhood and a close knit family. We still are. Every single sibling is a success in his or her own right in their various fields.

What was the most significant moment that shaped childhood for you?

There were so many. But more importantly the fact that we had neighbours who sent food on Sallah Day and we sent food on Christmas Day to everyone, whether they were Christians or Muslims. I grew up believing we were all the same. Things have changed so much now that kids carry forward their parent’s biases. I am from a long line of Christians and Muslims. The late Grand Khadi of Kogi State, Honourable Justice Ustaz Yoonus Abdullah is my maternal uncle, so I was brought up with no religious bias. Education was also very robust. My love of poetry and my becoming a poet is as a result of my teacher, a white woman Mrs Whittle who made poetry such a dream when I was in class two in primary school. Today these things are no longer so obvious. Teachers hardly note a creative student. You just must know the subjects; extracurricular activities are few and far between. Moral lessons were also quite defining. My mum was a tough one. She played and laughed, but you could not walk past an elder without greeting or walk in the middle of two persons talking. Hissing was unladylike and tying a wrapper across your chest in public was forbidden. Today, I still complain when I see young people doing the wrong things or being rude. Bad behaviour runs against my grain. Lessons from my parents have stayed with me all my life. When you ride in a car with my father, you cannot throw litter from the window until you get to a dustbin. I still cannot throw litter out of a car window and I am fifty and Mr Amodu has since passed.

With the benefit of hindsight, is there anything you would have done differently in your youth?

No, nothing. Maybe written my books earlier, but again when I think of it, it must be the best time that I did, when God ordained it. That was God’s time, which is always perfect.

At what point did it occur to you that you were going to be a broadcaster; how did the journey begin for you?

It was honestly an accident. Totally unplanned. I had done youth service at  OGBC Abeokuta in 1981, producing and presenting. I had done a stint producing and presenting children and women’s programme with no formal training. Before then, shortly before I got admission to the university in 1979, I had done a stint with Radio Benue as the first female announcer. It was a vacation job and I had never heard the word audition before then. I returned to the station every holiday until I graduated, so you would say I cut my teeth there. But I formally joined broadcasting at NTA Makurdi where I was actively head hunted by Engr. Isaac Wakombo, former Executive director Engineering of NTA who was then General Manager NTA Makurdi. I actually joined from the Benue state Ministry of Information where I was an Information officer. I joined Television as an Editor. One day someone did not turn up to present and I was encouraged to try. The rest as they say is history.

Now you are a role model to many. Who were your role models growing up and to what extent would you say they shaped the way you turned out?

Pretty much my parents, for a lot of my lifestyle and perspective on life. Work ethics, my father was exemplary, on time, disciplined and focused. My mother, for courage, kindness and charity. For broadcasting, all those who were ahead of me in the field from the late Bode Alalade to Yori Folarin and the women Hajia Hauwa Junaidu, the Julie Cokers and Bimbo Oloyede. Too many to mention. All who walked the path ahead of me and opened the doors for the rest of us are my role models. For faith, Jesus Christ.

In the fifty years you’ve lived, what moments have stood out for you, moments you will never forget?

My marriage, the birth of all my children and the unforgettable years I spent with my parents who have now gone before us. Also on the profession, the many people I met for interviews from cobblers to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.

You’ve been married 23 years and you never pass the opportunity to appreciate your husband. Can you tell us how you met, and what role he played in your growth into the icon you’ve now become?

I met him at the sadio station where I was doing my vacation job. He was already working. He has been my anchor encouraging me to fly as high as I can. He is a good man, an excellent husband and a great father to our children. He is calm, patient and focused and taught me how to manage life and people. He is also a man of deep faith. Most admirable.

Have you always wanted to be a writer or was it a passion you picked up later in life?

Writing was my first love. I started writing when I was seven years old and had stories around stick men and women whom I drew. My father was my greatest fan and encouraged my writing, asking everyday about each character. Television is a very strong medium and kind of held up my writing for a while but it is all good.

What do you hope to achieve by the time you turn sixty?

Hopefully to have The Eugenia Abu centre on creativity already actively running and in everyone’s consciousness. To do more teaching, travel more and do some books on travel writing. To have a successful agency where public speaking, broadcasting and excellent communication skills will be taught. I am an academic at heart, so you never know I may have acquired a PhD. I suppose your feminist leanings are obvious even though you have other thoughts on that. Is it likely we are going to see Eugenia Abu gunning to be the first female president of Nigeria or something equally grand?

My life is in the hands of God. I am not a politician. My own kind of feminism is not the western strand. It’s for me equal opportunity for both men and women. A woman who is qualified must never be upstaged for a man who is not as qualified. A woman’s work in the rural area is always so hard. My hope is that African women will have easy access to water and wood or fuel. A female child must never be denied the opportunity to go to school while the boys go. Women die needlessly from childbirth, this is my own kind of feminism not the type that is all over Europe that has more to do with lesbianism, sexual orientation and all that. I think it’s wrong for a woman to wait for her husband before going to hospital when in labour, many women die that way. Labour is an emergency. I have done a lot of research on women in communication and women in development.  I am concerned about rape and abuse of our women and girl children by people they trust, including family members. It’s a tragedy. There are many women leaders. Many men feel threatened and don’t give them a chance even though they know the woman’s leadership quotient. It’s a pity. To move Nigeria forward, we need both men and women. People with ideas; people who are proactive; people who have proven their mettle; men and women.

As a mother, a role model, what advice do you have for younger folks who are looking up to you?

I think the younger generation should learn patience and perseverance and understand the meaning of apprenticeship. They are not willing to go through the mill. They want to arrive today, today. They do not want to earn it. They see now, now. They choose not to see the big picture. They miss it when they are running without crawling or walking first. Nothing beats experience. If you short circuit the system, it will show somewhere ahead and cost you. They have much to learn. They should volunteer and build their capacity. They should pick up training wherever they can. They are also too money driven. Money is not everything. I may not be rich financially in the true sense of the word but I have invested in people, discernment, kindness, integrity, family and the fear of God and It has brought me this far. It is doable.