INTERVIEW WITH MRS ROSELINE IGBOKWE

Tell us about your background – childhood, family, education and work experience.

I am the last child of four children of my parents. My father was a firm disciplinarian, he only counselled and never used the cane on me until I left his home for marriage at age 21. My mum was the ever-loving one who used the cane to discipline me whenever I did something wrong, and today, I still appreciate that for some reasons. I gained most of my educational qualifications on the job. I first worked with Texaco, which later became ChevronTexaco and is now Chevron. While working, I applied for “Tuition Aid” from my company for my first degree with University of Lagos, which was approved.

I got in, graduated, and then applied for another first degree in Applied Information Technology at Sikkim Manipal University, Manipal, India, which was also approved. I got in, graduated, and then applied for an MBA with University of Lagos and this was also approved. This was how I got educated and acquired skills over the years.

This took me from being a Stenographer, to Personal Secretary, to Confidential Secretary, to Executive Secretary, to Food Mart Supervisor, and

Chevron downstream was acquired by MRS Oil Nigeria Plc, I became the District Sales Manager, South-West Nigeria. I then delved into Finance and became the Credit Control Manager for MRS Oil Nigeria Plc’, Aviation Commercial, Retail Sales Manager for South East/South West Nigeria and finally Head of Sales & Marketing (national) (equivalent of National General Manager in other oil companies) before I took early retirement at the age of 50.

I am an ordained minister with The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) and have been a member of this church for 32 years. I have at various times held important positions which include Chairman, Disciplinary Committee of the Evangel Voices Choir and Team Lead with the Christian Women Fellowship. I am also a proud Trustee of the Rehoboth Dream Solid Foundation. I am happily married to my best friend, confidant & advisor and we are blessed with five children who are all successful in their various fields.

“I am the last child of four children of my parents. My father was a firm disciplinarian, he only counselled and never used the cane on me until I left his home for marriage at age 21.”

Is there anyway your upbringing has influenced your choice of charity? Are there other charity organizations you volunteer for?

I would say yes in a way, because I grew up seeing my mum helping the downtrodden and constantly providing help and assistance to the less fortunate.

She adopted two of my half siblings and treated them no less than she did the rest of us. She was a philanthropist even until she passed on to glory. I would say categorically, without mincing words, that aside from the Rehoboth Dream Solid Foundation (RDSF), I do not belong to any other charitable organization.

You are a pioneer trustee of the RDSF, can you share with us what inspired you to join the board despite it being a pro bono service?

Honestly, what inspired me to join RDSF was the calibre of other members of the board. They are well-informed, with honourable intentions, people of high integrity, transparent and selfless.

You are a deaconess in the church and we also noticed that majority of the current members of the Rehoboth Dream Solid Foundation Board Of Trustees were at one time or the other leaders in their local churches. Do you think there is a correlation between faith, practice and charity work?

I will say “Yes””. One thing you should know is that with every human being, God has deposited His plan and purpose even way before creating us. So “Yes” to the possibility that our faith might have something to do with our foundation.. Some nonChristians, Muslims, Jews, Atheists, Agnostics, etc who have been brought up correctly and are able to realize the need for charity and have the means to do it, also have been paramount in the creation and success of multiple charities worldwide.

Based on the success you had in your career working in an esteemed corporate environment, do you think corporate entities in Nigeria are doing enough in executing Corporate Social Responsibility programs?

In the past, Corporate Social Responsibility was what most multinationals and corporate organizations had passion for as they used them to attract customers to their brands, provide better work environment for their employees and attract more investors etc.

This was done because companies that had ethical and social responsibilities successfully cultivated brand awareness and enhanced customer loyalty, and so, had competitive edge and attracted the best talents in society.

Social and ethical elements combined with technical tactics guaranteed long term productivity and financial success in these organizations. Now with what I can see, those good old days are no more as they used to be. I just hope and pray that this passion for CSR comes back.

You have been married for over 30years. Can you share with us some of the marital values that have kept your marriage?

I have been happily married for 34 years. I will not say it has all been a bed of roses, but what every person working towards marriage should know, is

My husband was the pastor of the house. Our policy is that whenever we have a misunderstanding, we settle it at night before devotion and become friends again.

We then tell each other how much we love and cherish each other. The fundamental beliefs that built our relationship reflects the identity that we have today in Christ.

God has been our First Love, our Father from time, the Head of our home, our Helper and our Source. Without Him, we would not have lasted this long together. Consequently, the key to thriving and having a long-lasting relationship as a couple is our compatible relationship values.

The core values that helped us over the years, include respect for one another, forgiveness every

Even as a career person, you and your husband had to train five children. Kindly share some tips on how you were able to manage family routine with the demands of work.

As a career person and my husband, a busy Pharmacist/Businessman, I would say that it was not an easy task. However, because we ensured that God was brought into everything we set our minds to do, our faith helped us ease off the stress.

Training our children comprised mainly of constant godly counsel. Five children meant five personalities with five different characteristics. Remember that the home is the primary training ground for children and we must live up to expectations. Our church’s children department helped a great deal in parenting collaboration. We ensured that all five of them learnt to pray and be independent; we supported their training and honing of work skills, social skills, manners, good attitude and even godly principles.

In Africa we have certain traditional marriage values and expectations from our husbands, and so I had to juggle my 8-5 (or 6-9 in most cases), with stopping by after work to buy groceries, cooking for the family, schooling to improve my education, and bringing the children up in the way of the Lord.

We also ensured that as disciplinarians, the children did not mix with certain neighbours and we watched the kind of friends they kept. They also were not allowed to watch TV until weekends so that they could concentrate on their school work.

Surprisingly, my job did not suffer as a result of this. I usually strive to go above set goals. Whilst this might have put strain on me, it did not deter me from pushing myself. I am grateful that our children all turned out well by the grace of God and as parents, we have peace of mind as they all grew up to be very successful men and women.

I will like to acknowledge my late mum and my late eldest sister of blessed memories whose intermittent visits helped a lot. As the last born in our family, I definitely got the best lessons and tips from them in parenting and living peacefully with my young family.

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Training our children comprised mainly of constant godly counsel. Five children meant five personalities with five different characteristics. Remember that the home is the primary training ground for children and we must live up to expectations.”

Still on parenting, we have seen a rise in social vices within the last few years amongst our youth. As someone who has been mentoring young ones, kindly share your thoughts on how this menace can be curbed in our society.

I have mentored a small section in my church of our youth right from my young adulthood., Today I can say that the government and parents have failed the upcoming generation. I wish everyone was able to bring God into their homes and train up their children in the way of the Lord right from kindergarten up until university. The quest for getting rich in our society and the elders’ lifestyles have caused some of the youths to follow negative ways.

I feel we should also not give up yet on the younger generation, because where there is life, the hope of God changing things supersedes everything. Churches and religious leaders should organize programmes to reorientate them to think positively.

Parents should work to have close relationships with their children and if they see anything that is untoward, they should ask questions, critically review the situation and give moral advice where necessary. If we all continue without giving up, our youths and the country at large will come back to core African values.

The RDSF focusses on economic empowerment through charity activities in education, mentoring and skills acquisition. In your opinion, what is the most challenging problem confronting the educational system of Nigeria?

The most challenging problem confronting the educational system in Nigeria is lack of the youths believing in their God-given talents, as well as themselves. In our time, who were you to bribe a teacher to get great results? But it is a norm now which has affected the untapped potentials of these youths.

Unfortunately, this situation is not helped by the lecturers who accept bribes., Though not an excuse, the condition of service of these educators has room for improvement and is calling for Government attention. I believe that if parents shun the act of giving bribes and instead, mentor their children, this generation will lead the continent to become the giant that Africa is known to be.

“The most challenging problem confronting the educational system in Nigeria is lack of the youths believing in their God-given talents, as well as themselves.”

What project executed by the Foundation do you have the most emotional connection to and why?

Definitely giving back to teachers. Parents easily forget that teachers are the least paid and the least recognized professionals, yet they provide half of the training our children need.

Teachers do have positive impact and power to change lives as they are the ones that see these children grow to adulthood. Whenever RDSF recognizes and supports some of them, in the past, I have shed some tears of joy with lots of gratitude in my heart for them.

For my looks, it is all about God. Prayerfully tell God how you want to look, don’t keep malice with people, forgive as quickly as possible, stay away from negative people, preach the gospel to people you meet, laugh always and be happy. I thank God for the husband God gave me and the children He blessed us with. I can honestly tell you, that they bring so much joy to my heart and I very rarely have any cause to feel sad or angry in any way (which I hear causes wrinkles)!

I also try to always remember that God is the one that gives health, so I thank Him for His unfailing grace and mercy towards me.

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Based on your experience, what would be your advice to Nigerians interested in joining the board of an NGO or seeking to setup one?

Based on my experience with RDSF, I will ask anyone trying to set up an NGO or join one to consider a number of things. They need to be certain they have passion for the project. This is paramount.

Good research on the type of NGO they want to go into, the vision and goals must be clear, and they must ensure that the NGO is properly registered with the government. The ability to raise funds and demonstrate integrity to manage the funds well is also very important. , This will ensure availability of funds for the programs. They should also carefully and prayerfully look for likeminded people with high integrity.

We would like to end this interview by asking you to share with our readers your health and fitness routine because one can hardly guess your age by your looks.

Hahahahaha! My health and fitness routines vary. I do brisk walking in most cases with my husband and I also try to eat healthy, I drink about 5 to 6 bottles of 500ml of water daily. I don’t joke with my fruits first thing in the morning, I eat vegetables and portion-size my carbs and fatty foods. I also love cooking and baking what I eat in most cases.

For my looks, it is all about God. Prayerfully tell God how you want to look, don’t keep malice with people, forgive as quickly as possible, stay away from negative people, preach the gospel to people you meet, laugh always and be happy.”

Thank you!