Keep at it
" Seest thou a man diligent in his business, he will stand before kings and not mean men". The irony of life, twist of fate, amazing how life turns out. It seemed just like yesterday, hearing my mother's vague response to my endless demands, " Ok o, I hear you, Ada Babangida, Ada Murtala". You know the pressure in school when deadline for payment of certain fees draw menacingly close while the possibility of closure gets bleaker in defiant but equal proportion. Desperation gets the better of me earning me slaps as I yell at the hapless woman( na there my power reach) " why can't Papa pay, Miss A, Miss B and others have fulfilled their obligations, tell Papa he must pay today o....else I will not read any book"( sounds ridiculously familiar ?) " Ada Babangida, Ada Murtala, I hear you...I hear you..., you think it is that easy to get money..."
So on January 30th 2020 in the Congress Hall, Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, as special guest of Aisha Babangida, found myself in the same room with wives of all former Heads of State in Nigeria from 1960 to date! From "face me I face you" modest home in Warri to the sprawling red carpet in the midst of people I was taunted with several decades ago: H.E - Beatrice Aguiyi Ironsi, Prof Uche Azikiwe, Victoria Gowon, Ajoke Mohammed, Justice Fati Abdulsallam Abubakar, Turai Yar' Adua, Patience Jonathan. Unavoidably absent were H.E. Maryam Abacha and Mrs. Shonekan. Wife of the President, H.E Mrs.Aisha Buhari was accompanied by H.E Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo, Wife of the Vice president. Also present was H.E Mrs. Titi Atiku Abubakar, Wife of the former Vice president. The power gathering had in attendance other men and women of timber and caliber in Nigeria . We had all come together to honour a woman whom I cherish in no small measure.
My open admiration for H.E. Dr. Mrs. Maryam Babangida is premised on her Sterling qualities - elegance, comportment, sense of purpose, boldness and relentless pursuit of a better life for women made her my most respected female leader. Woman of class and style, Maryam Babangida wrote her name in the sands of time. Having been actively involved in gender based issues, I am yet to see any well articulated road map for the upliftment of Women in Nigeria outside her project, Better Life for Rural Women. The historic event, Mothers of The Nation....History Revived, was in remembrance of a quintessential woman who passed on in December 2009. The program sought to revisit key hustorical developments from the perspective of the First Ladies who were largely regarded as accessories to their husbands. ......How did I get here......In the midst of history makers, dignitaries I only saw on television or read about in the media....I was even earlier scheduled to moderate one of the key sessions! I must confess this was a first for me, never been in such a high powered occasion in all my life.
My mind travels swiftly through the years.. that cross over service... 2009 had just been ushered in. Praying, all alone in Sandton, South Africa. The voice was audible, that gentle voice that could only be perceived by the spiritually discerning, " Ada, Begin to Develop Contacts". That was all, no more no less. Those who know really know the Master is neither garrulous nor a waster of words. Develop contacts for what, it didn't make sense but unfolding events have reinforced the assertion that the miraculous is truly wrapped up in the ridiculous. ......Nominated Moderator International Women Conference Berlin 2011 Presentation on Cervical Cancer@Nobel laureate Mohammed Yunus Conference, Vienna 2011 Nominated- Coordinator Nigeria Women Awards-2015 Special Guest of Honour, International Women Day 2016 in Liberia Listed 100 SME Women in Nigeria 2017 ..........
Thank God for Truecaller technology, I would never have imagined the caller and author of the text message that Christmas morning of 2019.Our paths had crossed briefly in 2014 and afterwards lost contact completely. After the exchange of pleasantly came the million dollar question, " So what have you been doing?" My answer which booked me a place in Abuja was premised on that simple mandate, Develop Contacts. It was simple, didn't make much sense but it was the compass .... From that seemingly obscure corner, just keep at it, be sure one day, you will attract the attention of the king, you will get your day in the sun. There may be no funfare, no recognition but I can assure, that day will come!
