“One cause of GBV is inequality between men and women. If women are more empowered, they will be more aware of their rights and know when to walk away from a toxic relationship.” – Barr. Mrs Roseline Obiageli Nwosu
She’s a Legal Practitioner with vast experience in both Public Service and Private practice. A Dispute Resolution Practitioner – an Arbitrator with special interest in Corporate and Construction Disputes, Barr. Mrs Roseline Obiageli Nwosu, life member of International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) is also a Mediator with special interest in Corporate and Family Mediation. An Executive Member of Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry, she belongs to a host of other Professional bodies and Associations. In this interview with Lillian Okenwa and Rahila Dauda, this former Regional Vice President of FIDA made some interesting revelations.
L&S: You have been a lawyer for quite a long time. What can you say about the practice of law as it is now and way back? How has it evolved and what lessons are there to draw?
Answer: I was called to Bar in July 1981, almost 40 years ago. I have really been around to Gods glory! When we graduated, it was normal for us as young lawyers to look for good and busy chambers to cut our teeth; that is learn the ropes and acquire the necessary skills to be a good Advocate and Solicitor. We were very patient and ready to learn before venturing into private practice on our own. Today the story is slightly different. Most young Lawyers do not see the need to work under seniors though some seniors don’t pay well which is very unfair, because the juniors that do most of the work. But it is very important to learn. Grooming and mentorship definitely have positive impact on the young lawyers and in fact on young professionals generally.
Have sound relationships with your seniors if you choose to remain on your own and humility is very important. If you can get the needed financial support from your family, then manage under a senior so that you can learn adequately. As a young lawyer, integrity is very crucial. Don’t cheat clients but maintain honesty and be diligent with your dealings. The law associations we belong to should also maintain mentorship platforms for their young ones.
When we graduated, it was still acceptable practice to be a general practitioner and to try your hands in whatever comes your way. Today’s practice has become more competitive and requires some level of specialisation, if a lawyer desires to earn good fees in the near future.
In our time, it was easier to get a Job either in Civil Service, Public Service or Private Companies. For instance, I got a job as Counsel in Federal Ministry of Justice on merit without knowing either the then Permanent Secretary or Director of Public Prosecutions who interviewed me. Today, it’s a different ball game in the Public Sector where merit counts for little or nothing except for the private sector which still mostly recruits on merit.
For me, the lessons are that with integrity, resilience and hard work, a lawyer will succeed in which ever sphere he/she finds himself/ herself. Nothing pays like hard work. It may take a longer time now than in the past but where a Lawyer endeavours to carve a niche the financial rewards will eventually be enormous.
L&S: What would have studied apart from law?
Answer: I don’t think I would have studied anything apart from Law. I can say without doubt that I was born a “Natural” lawyer. I have always loved law and from child hood wanted to be a Lawyer. I believe it may have something to do with my background. I was blessed with a Father who was a very successful Lawyer. Even though I lost him when I was young, I grew up hearing about his exploits as a practising lawyer before he was assigned an Ambassadorial position in Western Germany where he served as Nigeria’s 1st Ambassador. I also had Uncles who were lawyers. I have always loved being a lawyer and I will still want to be one if I have another opportunity to choose a profession.
L&S: Tell us more about yourself.
Answer: I am a human rights activist with particular interest in enforcing and upholding the rights of Women and Children. I am interested in grooming the next generation of Ladies and Mothers and in passing on the values of self-respect, belief in self, integrity and hard work to them.
I love music and enjoy listening to good music and dancing. I also enjoy reading, taking pictures, watching films and travelling. I am a Wife, a Mother and a Grandmother. I am currently the Vice President Women Development, Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI).
L&S: As the chairperson of the women forum at the Abuja Chamber of Commerce, what can you say about the participation and involvement of women?
Answer: At the moment, Women owned businesses constitute about 60% of the Chamber’s membership. Most of these businesses are Small and Medium-sized enterprises. Even though we have many Women in the Chamber, their level of participation is not commensurate with their numbers and that is one of the things I would like to change before I leave my office. At the moment, I am the only elected Female in our Executive and for me that is not good enough.
L& S: Are there other ladies in top positions at the Chamber?
Answer: Yes. We also have three Ladies elected as Council members out of 20 Council positions. However in our managerial positions in the Chamber, women are doing quite well. A Lady is our Director General, another lady is the Director of our Business Entrepreneurship Skills and Technology Centre i.e. our training Centre while another Lady is the Registrar – General, of our Dispute Resolution Centre.
In recognition of the extra challenges faced by women entrepreneurs, the Chamber has established a special group specifically comprised of women entrepreneurs to encourage them in their pursuit for excellence and success in their chosen fields. To support this group, a Women Development Committee was also set up to promote women owned businesses by providing necessary support that will empower them to succeed, to promote ways to improve women participation in the Chamber and to provide training, access to finance, information and technology amongst other objectives to them..
We also have a Women in Business forum where we network and share ideas. Our hope is that the participation of Women will greatly improve in the next few years.
L&S: Tell us more about the Abuja chamber of commerce, its operations and how people can utilise and access it.
Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a foremost Chamber in Nigeria with Grade A status which is at par with Lagos Chamber which has been in existence for a very long time. Our desire which is achievable is to surpass this and be the number one Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Nigeria in no distant future!
Abuja Chamber whose current President is Alh Dr Al-Mujtaba Abubakar was established in August 1986 as a Company Limited by Guarantee with the principal objective of promoting economic and industrial development within the Federal Capital Territory in particular and Nigeria in general. It is a non-partisan, non-sectarian, member funded organisation solely representing the common interests of the business community in the Federal Capital Territory.
Its mission is to serve, support and enhance the businesses of our members as well as contribute to the development of our National economy. The vision of the Chamber is to be the foremost Chamber of Commerce in Nigeria and to be a key player in Africa. Membership is open to companies which meet with the stringent conditions for good corporate governance. The Chamber has four centres viz:
Dispute Resolution Centre whose focus is to provide fair, and efficient alternative dispute resolution services, with particular reference to arbitration, mediation, negotiation and conciliation. Next is the Trade Centre whose mandate is to facilitate trade between members of the Chamber and other businesses both within and outside Nigeria. It organises trade fairs and B2B meetings and provides trade related consultancy services amongst other things in actualization of its mandate.
Next is the Business Entrepreneurship Skills and Technology (BEST) Centre which is the training provider arm of the Chamber. It provides capacity building trainings and collaborates with many training Institutes and Associations both within and outside the Country to offer specialised training and it also has facilities for hire. The Chamber has in the past two years developed two legacy projects. An ultra-modern office complex, and a convention centre amongst other achievements. Finally, the future looks very bright for the Chamber which on a daily basis is making giant strides!
We also have the Policy and Advocacy Centre whose mandate is to advance policies and laws protecting the private sector for advancement of business community wealth and public good.
L&S: As a past chairperson of FIDA Abuja branch and Regional Vice President of FIDA, what will you say are the causes of the rising cases of GBV all over Nigeria, and what possible solutions will you proffer?
Answer: Gender Based Violence otherwise known as GBV is violence directed against a person because of that person’s gender or violence that affects persons of a particular gender disproportionately. Examples are violence at home where husband beats or assaults his wife sexually or psychologically. Violence in communities, female battery, rape, sexual exploitation and intimidation in schools, commercial exploitation and Female genital mutilation amongst others.
As a former Chair of International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) and a human rights activist, a firm believer in upholding and enforcing the rights of women and children, the issue of GBV has been of great concern for a while now. The recent increase in Nigeria can be attributed to a number of factors:
The increased enlightenment and advocacy on the rights of women has emboldened many women to speak out against GBV. As a result, the level of reportage is higher. The recent hardships experienced during COVID-19 lockdown such as hunger and extreme deprivation of necessities of life have caused an escalation in the level of frustration and stress leading to increase in GBV amongst spouses and partners. COVID also forced spouses who had in the past escaped from home through going to work and travelling at the least opportunity, to stay at home together due to no movement restrictions with their spouses whom they hardly know. This situation led to escalation in conflicts and misunderstandings leading to GBV.
We have a lot of Women who are doing very well economically and financially but whose spouses have either lost their jobs or are not doing so well. Though men are also victims of GBV, the incidences against men are very minimal compared to those against women. The society expects a man to be head of his family and to provide for them. Where he becomes financially and economically insecure, he tries to assert and claim back his headship and control his wife through acts of violence.
Women suffer mostly when there is a conflict or war situation. In Nigeria at the moment, the bandits/herders and kidnappers have taken over a large part of our dear country, hence we hear of incessant raping, maiming of women and girls and kidnapping of Girls from Colleges. These are gender based violence. The list of causes cannot be exhausted.
One method through which GBV could be checked is for States to replicate the provisions of Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act 2015 otherwise known as VAPP Act. This Act has many progressive features and is a step in the right direction. It’s important to note that GBV is supported by patriarchy and gender inequalities. Most cultures, traditional beliefs, norms and social institutions legitimise and therefore perpetuate violence against women.
Advocacy and sensitization to traditional rulers as gatekeepers of culture and getting their commitment to protect rights of women is another way. Also the need to nurture new cultures that do not tolerate GBV in homes, schools and community, the need to educate women on rights of Women and children cannot be over emphasised. It will take a long time to change the culture but this will be the first step in changing things. Improvement in the deplorable security situation in the Country will help in reducing the incidences of rape of women of all ages with attendant loss of lives.
Also successful women should learn how to manage insecure husbands and desist from flouting their successes. As a corollary, men should learn to be supportive and to celebrate their wives successes which they should also see as their own successes.
There has been a call to widen the scope of social and civic courses in secondary schools to include GBV and relationship building. One cause of GBV is inequality between men and women. If women are more empowered, they will be more aware of their rights and know when to walk away from a toxic relationship. Parents should teach their children especially their girl children some boundaries and what is inappropriate in a relationship as well as how to sense the onset of violence or negative and unacceptable behaviour.
L&S: Recently the world marked the international women’s day 2021 with the theme #choosetochallenge. What is Mrs Nwosu challenging?
Answer: The theme this year “Choose to challenge”is quite interesting. It is said that: “A challenged World is an alert World.” In the International Womens Day website, it is stated that we should all choose to Challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. I choose to Challenge all forms of discriminations against Women and all biases and stereotypes. I am also challenging gender based violence which has reached an astronomical level in our dear country. I am challenging gender inequality, in the sense that women are not where they are supposed to be, in their offices and in what they do. By the time promotions come women don’t get to the top echelon. Even though we have women at the top but it is not enough, this is as a result of the discrimination women face, and some cultural perceptions such as the phrase, “women are to be seen and not to be heard.” Unfortunately even fellow women look down on themselves and limit themselves, but we have made some progress though we are not there yet.
L&S: How did the chamber mark International Women’s Day?
Answer: The International Women’s Day 2021 with the Theme “Choose to Challenge” was celebrated in different ways all over the world by Women. In Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), the women started by associating themselves with the theme for this year, by challenging different things. Many of the challenges revolved around inequality between men and women; discrimination against women and Gender based violence.
On the 8th of March, we started featuring our women entrepreneurs daily in this womens history month on all our platforms and social media handles. Next, we had a webinar on Monday the 15th on March 2021 via Zoom with the Theme – Women in AfCFTA: How Africa can Leverage on Women Potentials.
The discussants were the National President of National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) Hajia Saratu Iya Aliyu, Vice President Women Development ACCI, Mrs Roseline Obiageli Nwosu, Director-General of ACCI, Ms Vicki Akai and the Executive Director Women Enterprise Alliance, Mr Yemi Bello.
Last but not the least, we wrapped up the celebration by publishing a Magazine- Special Edition that spotlighted our women’s achievements. The aim is to encourage more women to join entrepreneurship and to encourage those already in ACCI to keep pushing forward in spite of the challenges with the ultimate aim of achieving success.
L&S: Our former finance minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has just been appointed DG WTO, but some people feel she’s been too ambitious and even relegated her home.
Answer: This is the cultural disparity, we are talking about, but she is qualified for the job. Even as we are growing up, some women have been beating boys in school. I hope women are not part of those making the accusations.
L&S: What can you say to the men that have career women as wives?
Answer: It is a cultural thing and the way they are brought up. A woman should be encouraged. Most of the problem is about self-esteem. Some men feel threatened by successful women. A man with a good self-esteem will encourage his wife to succeed and get to the top. Some men just want to punish their wives. While dating they were good to them but changed terribly after marriage. A man and his wife ought to work together as a team in order to be successful. I remember an intelligent woman who did well as a law student and graduated with flying colours but ended up being a full time house wife. As a woman it is important you engage in intellectual activities even if it’s to volunteer. You need to stimulate and excite your brain.
Before entering into marriage, a woman should assess the totality of the man she’s dealing with. Watch how a man treats his mother, sisters and other women. You also need to be prayerful about it. if you marry a bad person he or she won’t change overnight. Some men feel they are doing a woman a favour by marrying her but one has to be careful because marriage is for life. My marriage will be 40 years this July. I could not have survived the past 40 years if I had married a terrible person. Don’t rush to get into marriage. There is someone who will love you and respect you. Marry a man that will be proud and willing to introduce you as his wife.
L&S: How can a career woman balance the home-front and work?
Answer: It has to involve proper balancing. I have raised five children and it may not be easy but it takes commitment and sacrifice. You need a supportive spouse too and you need to be good at time management. Give adequate and quality time to both your spouse and children. Some men get jealous of their children, so it’s good to make time for your spouse. If you have a job that keeps you out most of the time, you need proper balancing.
L&S: We have a lot of young lawyers, especially female ones who look up to you as a role model, what is your advice to them?
Answer: To our young Lawyers generally, I will advise them to have a vision of what their career path will be. To fashion out a roadmap, and to start from day one to walk their way through that path. I will also advise that they acquire some extra certifications and experience that will make them specialists in one or two fields of law practice.
Next, I will advise that they exercise some patience and stay some years with seniors in order to learn the basics of practice. Also to choose one or two mentors that will help them on their way to success. I will also advise them on the necessity to imbibe important values and qualities of having a high level of integrity, healthy self-esteem, hard-work, respect for authority and resilience, perchance they don’t have them already. For female lawyers, I would add having good self-worth, belief and respect for self that will enable them earn respect from their male colleagues, future bosses and spouses. They should also ensure that they move up the ladder by merit and not through any compromises of their morality. I would also advise vigilance in guarding their human rights so as to minimize or totally avoid discrimination and abuse of their rights.
