United Nations Optimistic Livelihood Award Centre (UN-POLAC) just lately named Dr. Lydia Okodogbe, the founding father of SpeakOut and MD/CEO of Eleo Design Centre, as Peace Ambassador. The popularity was given for her steady efforts in offering ladies, ladies and the weak or abused people with a platform for self-expression, apart from empowering them with abilities that may allow them to be financially impartial. On this interview with OMIKO AWA, the Worldwide Peace Advocate mentioned her plans to uphold the rules of the UN and UN-POLAC, her readiness to deal with safety challenges and different crises throughout Africa.
What precisely led to your appointment as UN-POLAC Peace Ambassador?The appointment got here as a whole shock to me as a result of such awards are sometimes given to distinguished people — these within the world highlight, people working with the United Nations (UN) or these concerned in important authorities roles. The appointment mandated me to enroll for a rigorous coaching to be a licensed peace mediator from the UN – POLAC Peace School. I deeply worth the rules of UN and UN-POLAC, which I’ve adopted in my organisation, SpeakOut, a non-profit outfit devoted to supporting ladies, youngsters, ladies and people who’re abused or have been abused, bullied or weak. SpeakOut empowers individuals to face up towards societal injustices, provides a voice to the unvoiced and addresses societal ills and challenges.
Have been these all that earned you the appointment?I can not say for positive, however actually, they might not grant the appointment to somebody who shouldn’t be making any optimistic affect on his or her group. Extra so, the letter I acquired said that my nomination was made following an in depth evaluate of my monitor data in group affect and improvement.
Along with your appointment, how do you intend to affect African communities?The final word objective is to make a big and lasting affect. My training challenge for a begin goals to spice up training in Africa and around the globe. I’m taking a hands-on method within the execution of my duties as a licensed Peace Mediator and a Peace Ambassador. Naturally, I’ve a deep ardour for training and just lately, I acquired an honorary doctorate diploma in recognition of my efforts to encourage studying and improve data amongst younger individuals. I shall be launching a nationwide initiative to assist the training of the underprivileged youths. My goal is to make sure that each Nigerian little one, no matter his or her household’s low monetary standing goes to high school. This challenge will assist college students from main faculty degree to the college. It’ll even be prolonged to homeless youths residing in slums and underneath the bridges.
What are your plans for war-torn African nations?To successfully deal with the problems, one requires each understanding and confidence. Typically, we glance to foreigners to deal with African issues and to mediate points affecting Africans. Whereas these exterior specialists carry useful data and experiences, their understanding is inherently restricted. The data of those overseas specialists ends the place the data of the native individuals begins and this reveals that foreigners can not totally grasp the intricacies of African cultures. Subsequently, one of the best method to make use of to unravel African issues is to undertake African-oriented options, which may solely be achieved by appointing Africans themselves as mediators.
Whereas foreigners can derive theories and options from historical past and different human experiences, their sensible software won’t ever match the perception of somebody on the bottom. This distinction highlights why sensible, on-the-job expertise is extra useful than theoretical data. My familiarity with native circumstances and tradition provides me a bonus in peaceable mediation throughout Africa. I’m conscious of the details and elements via my involvement with the UN-POLAC, which to my finest data is an organisation that’s nicely geared up and skilled within the space of conflicts decision and peace mediation. A testomony to that is the variety of disaster circumstances which can be referred to the organisation by different UN businesses for resolutions.
In coping with crises that embody terrorism and banditry, understanding the human parts behind these anti-social actions is essential. These concerned are residents of the varied African nations and resolving these points will begin with the understanding of their motivations and backgrounds. I strongly consider that the perpetrators of violence aren’t past human reasoning; they’re able to being engaged in a dialogue if they’re rightly approached and in addition, if the fitting strategies are employed. There are a number of cases of governments making an attempt to interact them in dialogue via insiders. It is because to confront an adversary, one should first perceive them. Conversations can typically result in sudden resolutions, as understanding the opposite aspect can shift views and foster sensible options.
Some individuals see the lady little one as being deprived and remorse having ladies. Reflecting on this persistent bias, how do you propose to vary this narrative?I’ve all the time been an advocate for lady little one and ladies empowerment. To me, ladies signify wealth. Present me a girl and I’ll present you the wealth round her. Level to me a woman little one and I’ll present you the place the long run wealth from her will emerge. Up to now, there was the assumption {that a} lady little one wouldn’t carry any tangible profit to her household, whereas the boy little one was seen as a supply of prosperity and a medium to proceed their household lineage. This has turned out to be a false impression. Ladies at the moment are heads of companies and they’re excelling. They’re excelling due to their meticulous organisational talent and the power to concentrate to particulars. I’m not towards any gender, however it is vital to not underestimate the ability of the lady little one. Ladies are affected person, resilient and know find out how to “get water out from a rock.”
How will your place be of profit to Nigeria and Nigerians?My youth challenge will begin from Nigeria earlier than increasing it to different African nations. I consider within the precept of charity begins at dwelling. Given the excessive poverty charge within the nation, offering a toddler with high quality training will probably break the cycle of poverty in his or her lineage. Attaining the objective of guaranteeing that each little one will get a great training is step one in the direction of addressing many issues. The challenge will allow youngsters to progress from main faculty to secondary faculty and later to school with out monetary pressure on their dad and mom.
How do you propose to deal with the problem of kid troopers in war-torn zones on the continent?Baby troopers aren’t from one other continent; they’re Africans and have households; so, our efforts will begin from their households. We’ll collaborate with the Financial Neighborhood of West African States (ECOWAS), a key regional organisation in West Africa, to achieve out to their households. We will use the Again-to-College challenge and in addition companion with dad and mom, native organisations and spiritual teams to deal with the problem of kid troopers. We will design insurance policies that may interact dad and mom, group leaders and facilitate the move of UN programmes via ECOWAS to particular person nations, native authorities, colleges, non secular establishments and even houses. This technique will put together each little one for optimistic change and to foster enhancements of their communities. Altering the mindset of those little one troopers to one thing extra optimistic will take away their curiosity from carrying weapons to constructing their communities for good.
Moreover, we’ll look into the explanations these youngsters are concerned in native conflicts and work with their dad and mom to bridge the hole between the house and the society, whereas serving to the kids to see the intense future forward of them.
What’s your tackle Nigerians within the Diaspora?I’m deeply full of pleasure every time I see or hear of Nigerians reaching nice success and breaking new limitations around the globe. I all the time want they may make such useful contributions at dwelling too. If everybody contributes his or her quarter to the event of our nation, Nigeria can be nice. The reality is, Nigeria has immense human and pure assets which can be but to be harnessed.
Edo State, how would you deal with the problem of human trafficking and prostitution throughout African borders?Prostitution is a worldwide concern; though individuals from Edo State at a time have been main the path in Nigeria, training the commerce in Europe and different continents throughout the globe. Luckily, there was a noticeable decline in Edo State indigenes getting concerned within the commerce if you happen to evaluate the variety of prostitutes from the state up to now and now. I monitor the scenario carefully and have noticed that. Traditionally, many younger ladies from Edo State have been misled concerning the alternatives overseas and have been coerced into prostitution. This exploitation persevered for years, largely hidden from public view, till it gained the eye of many individuals. After that, the Edo State authorities beginning with the regime of Fortunate Igbinedion and persevering with underneath successive administrations started to deal with the problem. Nonetheless, the royal pronouncement of Oba of Benin discouraged many individuals from finishing up the commerce on the magnitude it was and this has considerably boosted the nation’s picture. I bear in mind watching a video of intercourse slaves in Italy celebrating their liberation, which is a testomony to the effectiveness of the Oba’s intervention. The identical method could possibly be utilized in different areas, whether or not within the japanese, northern or western a part of Nigeria. State governors, conventional rulers and native council chairmen ought to all play their components to place an finish to human trafficking.
How does the physique get its funds?Funding has been a problem on this a part of the world, partly as a result of many individuals don’t realise the affect of the establishment and to assist its trigger. If every individual can donate simply N1, 000 monthly, it will considerably assist our quite a few tasks and save many lives. In different nations in Europe and the U.S. persons are extra conscious of this idea of giving; you’ll discover donation packing containers in supermarkets for the UN and different charities.
Africans have to undertake this follow and develop an identical angle, notably since businesses, together with UN-POLAC, present useful providers in locations the place the federal or state budgets are inadequate to cowl. We have to prioritise investing in organisations like UN-POLAC that makes use of its experience and in depth networks to drive significant change within the society and affect human wellbeing.
You’re so obsessed with peacekeeping; what’s your driving power?I purpose to contribute to the nation’s improvement and by extension Africa. We have now solely explored a fraction of Nigeria’s human and pure assets; the truth is, we have now not even tapped as much as half of it. Subsequently, my focus is on fostering peace, as it’s important for reaching progress and any significant improvement on the earth, particularly Nigeria.
With these laudable tasks, are you not getting ready for politics?I don’t have an curiosity in politics. Though I have no idea what the long run holds for me, my focus proper now could be on my work. My ardour lies within the tasks I’m engaged on and people I’m but to start out. I’m devoted to giving my finest to something I do. As a Peace Ambassador, I intend to discover societal points and discover methods Nigerians can profit from the very many programmes and experience of the UN-POLAC, particularly within the space of battle decision and disaster administration. I’m additionally involved about how Africans can higher utilise their assets for the event of Africa. Given my present focus, including a political function to my tasks can be difficult for me.
Along with your new function that may take you throughout the globe, how do you propose to maintain your organization, Eleo Designs?I’m at present decentralising authorities by participating others to handle completely different sectors of my firm. I’m not fascinated with being the only chief, issuing orders. For a enterprise to succeed, it requires mental engagement and ongoing innovation. This implies frequently exploring new strategies and researching numerous tasks. Currently, I targeted on leveraging the data of the youthful technology and shortly, you’ll start to see younger and proficient people taking part in important roles inside the Eleo Group. Many organisations overlook these shiny, forward-thinking younger individuals, who are sometimes engaged with social media. I plan on channeling their potential in the direction of making significant contributions within the society via my organisation.
