Rosemary Opara Okonkwo, a Virologist and mother of one, hails from Imo state and is married to a UK-based mental health doctor from Anambra state.In this chat with ENE OSANG, Okonkwo, who is also a fashion designer, caterer and trainer of women and children on skill acquisition and cooking, harps on the importance of skill acquisition for all.
What is the inspiration behind what you do?
I realised that children are not carried along that is why I took up the passion to go to secondary schools as an after school consultant to teach children how to make small chops, bead making, slippers and some other skill acquisition which are commercially viable.
How long have you been into this?
The name of my company is Obidiya’s concept. Obidiya means heart of the husband and everybody knows that the heart of the husband is food and good looking, I have been in business since 2005 but came into the limelight three years ago. I have worked with a couple of schools and we intend to cover most of the FCT schools to teach them this after school skill acquisition. My partner bank, ‘safe heaven micro finance bank,’ assist the schools with the finances they can use, we also help women who are interested in learning afterwhich they go for internships and we assist them with a little loan to start a business.
For the schools the children pay a very minute fee of a thousand Naira every month to learn a skill. It is called operation teach a child a skill. So in like three months they could learn three skills afterwhich we assess them to know which one they like more and they learn that more.
You are a Virologist, what inspired you to become a vocational trainer?
Everybody wants to work with government and even as a doctor is overrated but as a woman or man when you learn a skill it can support you to help your family when that government job is not there, and even when the job is there you should have a passion for something. I love medical science and I consult for the institute of human virology based on viruses. I did a research for chlymidia trachomatis with school of medical lab com jos for IHVN for women in Abuja but as same time because of my love for skills and entrepreneurship I also learnt how to make bags, shoes, clothe and food.
Would you say Nigerians are interested in skill acquisition?
Basically the youths are not embracing skill acquisition enough due to lack of finance to set up a business. That is why everybody wants a government job where they get paid by month end.
But when it comes to entrepreneurship it is a sacrifice and it has to do with passion because a times it may want to fail but when you are passionate about it and you have the right connections you will make it. When I started most people said why didn’t I get a shop in wuse market but I didn’t have the money to rent a shop there so I used my parlour to start and today many people know me for what I do.
Why are you so passionate about children learning a skill?
I am interested in children because they are sidelined. I went to teach some women around me how to make banger soup they pay for it, put in their fridge and tell their husbands they made it so I tell them why don’t you learn it and when I go to their homes to teach them I realised that their children can’t make even Indomie because they are always in the boarding schools and when they come back home they go for house chores and so they don’t learn how food is prepared. If you don’t catch them young when they are grown and married with children we have a circle of broken homes so am hoping that I could assist in saving marriages and families in the future.
Do you face any challenges in what you do?
Yes there are challenges and most times you see the children mocking themselves that you are a shoe maker or a cook and most of them think being a shoe maker is a bad thing. That is why I caution them to also take their education seriously, I am proud to be a virologist but I also like what I am doing now.
As a virologist how would you describe women health status in Nigeria?
We don’t really take care of our health, I work with an NGO and we give free BP, sugar level check on sundays I realised that people don’t know what is BP they just go ahead and they just go ahead and assume that what you don’t know won’t kill you. People are not embracing their health status, you see a pregnant woman that has hepatitis and she doesn’t even know yet she is bringing people into the world. I encourage people to always go for regular check ups on sugar, hepatitis, HIV and so on.
However, so many people as well are aware of the importance of these unlike before when couples who are both AS marry each other and start giving birth to children with sickle cell and the parents out of ignorance will call those children an ‘ogbanje’ because they don’t know but today people know these diseases exist.
Would you say government is assisting young entrepreneurs enough?
I think President Jonathan tried by creating YouWin and Sure-P programmes but we need more awareness because people don’t know how to assess these programmes.
Does your husband support what you do?
My husband supports me a lot, I know I have done businesses that have failed but my husband would still give me money to continue. Before I got to this point I have done like three businesses which have failed yet he still supported me financially to start all over. He has being the only backbone that supports me and just recently I began to see all the outcomes of the investments I have made and he is proud of me now.
My pastor always say if your business fails within five years you opened it, it has not failed so I advise entrepreneurs to put in five years in business first before giving up.
Would you say women are excelling in entrepreneurship?
Women face challenge of support from maybe their spouses, parents or their friends but I would only say it is only lazy women that would not pursue their passion in business else women are trying their best in doing business.
How do you manage your work and home front?
I am mostly into consultancy as a virologist and most times in a month or two I go to the field and do research then come back home to work with school children. So I do plan my time in a way that I have time for my family.
Do you have any leisure time?
I love leisure and most Saturdays or Sundays I take my daughter along with me for swimming or sit outs.
What are your hobbies?
I love watching cartoons, reading as well as writing. I write business plan for people.
What has been your achievements in life?
I love helping people achieve their passion and seeing them happy. Doing this makes me happy and a great achievement for me. If I am able to achieve 1% of every community for a child to learn something I am excited.
Where do you envision yourself in the next 5-6 years ?
One of my dreams is that Obidiya’s after school programme should be a household name in Nigeria most especially in the FCT, Imo and Delta states. If people accept the programme for their children to learn a skill the children will have more passion to acquire a skill.
What advise do you have for women?
In as much as we want to be doctors, lawyers, professionals, let’s look for a passion learn it and do the work yourself but if you must hire a hand, get the business so your business can grow.
