I don’t believe women are weak-Promise Anaroke, Operations Manager, Aulic Nigeria Limited

Mrs Promise Anaroke

'Dr. Mrs Kema Chikwe is my big time mentor'

 She is a politician, member Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport; member Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME), Nigeria; member of Women in Logistics and Transport (WILAT), She is also an  honourary member of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA). Welcome to the world of Promise Anaroke the Current Public Relations Officer Women's International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA).  This brilliant and amiable woman  is also the Operations Manager of Aulic Nigeria Limited and the founder Federation of Enugu Women Association (FEWA). She recently contested for Enugu State House of Assembly and represented the people of Oji River. In this interview with ADAEZE AMOS, the Amazon lets us into her world; how she combines home front with her numerous daunting responsibilities

You contested for Enugu state House of Assembly where you represented the people of Oji River even at this time when some women are still shying away from politics. What gave you the boldness to opt for this? Why were you not scared?

Well, the boldness came from the zeal, the urge to give something positive to my people. The boldness to give my people the best. This wasn’t really difficult because when you love your people, you would love to do things for them, irrespective of the stress you have to go through.

'Dr Mrs Kema Chikwe is my big time mentor' 

‘My worst fear in life is the anger of God’

Were you scared to do that as it is assumed that politics is a dirty and dangerous game?

I was not scared at all at any point in time but yes people were asking me why would I opt for that, being a woman and all that. But I continued, not even considering myself as doing anything extra ordinary. I have seen so many other women going into politics and so many of them did well. Some might not have done as expected but the fact that they were bold enough, they gave it their shot and they came out well and were not scared about it matters a lot. But if you get scared, somebody must have to do the job. So in my own case, I did not nurse  any fear at all.

Meaning that you never dreaded politics, what then is your worst fear in life?

What I’m scared of is the anger of God. That is honestly the only thing I’m really jittery of. I believe that every problem has a solution but you need to really figure out what that solution is. But you don’t have any solution for the anger of God except going back to Him and beg for forgiveness. And you must have to understand  it is the anger of God before you would think of going back. Reason is that when you are with God, you see things flowing. So, I think that my worst fear in life is the anger of God.

For women who have what it takes to run for one elective position or the other in politics but are ignorant of  how to start, can you reach out to them?

I have already spoken to as many as I could. But how be it, you must not belong to a political party for you to know that you can come out and serve your people. You can start from where you are, your community, your immediate environment. Start from there. Talk to the women  there, tell them that they can make this society a better place to be and  then  you begin to let them know that they are very necessary in the society. And that they could touch people’s lives positively and once you touch one person’s life positively, it gives you joy and you want to touch two peoples’ lives. And before you know it, you would start going out. So, it’s not compulsory you must come out and run one elective position or the other in politics. A lot of women are doing a lot of things that are non political but they are still reaching out to women. And when you have reached out to one woman, it  means you have reached out to five people because she would talk to her husband, her children and close friends.

 You are into politics, you are  the Operations Manager of Aulic Nigeria Limited, founder Federation of Enugu Women Association to mention but a few. How do you combine your duties as a wife and mother with these daunting tasks?

Honestly, doing two things at the same time doesn’t come easy. But it comes easier when you have the support of your husband and your family. Because when you are having problem, there is always somebody that would be of help. So, with the support of my husband and my family, everything flows well. It’s tasking really! If anybody tells you it’s easy, that it’s a bed of roses, she is not telling the truth. It’s really tasking but the joy of it is that once you are into it and you are doing things positively, your face would be glowing.

Is there any way your sex as a woman has limited you in life?

As a matter of fact, no! In the sense that I respect the men folk a lot. As my culture or where I come  from, it is ideal for you to respect men. And honestly if you respect somebody, the person tends to respect you back. So, when I get in the midst of men, I don’t want to tell them that I’m doing what they are doing. I would first and foremost give them their due respect. When you show a man that you are in charge, he would make things difficult  for you. So, having said this, I have not had any issue with men because I respect them and they give me support. You start having problem  when you begin to rub shoulders with them and that doesn’t help. But when you respect them, when you have a problem, they would help you out.

So to answer your question, I have not in any way been limited because I’m a woman. And I don’t like to flaunt woman issues so that it doesn’t seem as if we are weak. I love women who do things and do it strong. That is what I believe in. I don’t believe that women are weak. I’m not invalid, so why should anybody take me with a kid’s clove.

There is this perception that good marriage and politics don’t work hand in hand. That one must give way to the other. How is your marriage successful even as a politician? What are you doing right?

You learn from women who are qualified to learn from. I mean those who are also happily married. I know that my big time mentor, who is also happily married, who can’t do anything without her thinking about her husband is Dr. Mrs. Kema Chikwe. I do learn from her because she is somebody who is positive,  somebody that is right, she can’t go wrong. But when you learn from those who don’t care about what the society says or what people think about them, that is when you have problem. I’m happy that I have been following her footsteps. That is why I’m succeeding in what I do even as my marriage succeeds.

You handled so many leadership positions which have to do with women in one way or the other. Can you unveil some areas where women are lagging behind?

Let me say it is information. Women lack information. Most of them if you permit me to say are not well informed.  This is one of the biggest short comings women have. And because they are not well informed, they tend to make mistakes that ought to have been avoided.

As the coordinator (PDP) E-Women Lagos state, how have you been developing young professional women politically for future leadership which of course is your primary assignment?

I know a lot of women, fresh graduates and young professionals whom I have done I have spoken to. It’s just to tell them to get interested in politics. We all can’t keep running away from politics. If we keep running away, someone would have to do the job. We keep saying that the men did this and they did that, it’s because some of us are not politically inclined. If you get to know about what is happening around you, it gives you a broader knowledge and you can contribute meaningfully when discussions on that come up. It lets you get involved,  and if you are more involved, you begin to get more positive and you contribute better.

What are your duties as the National Welfare Officer, Igbo Youth Congress, an apex body that unifies the socio-cultural and political activities of Ndi-Igbo? And how do you feel when you come across Igbo children not being able to communicate in their language? Some can’t even pronounce their Igbo names well.

That is where I doff my hat for Yoruba people. Even abroad, Yoruba parents would give their children Yoruba names. You cannot take them away from their culture. But the Igbos, it’s so bad that even our names you won’t trace where it came from. You see some Igbos bearing such names as Promise Davison. This is nonsense! You may think the person is from Niger-Delta. Some Igbo families won’t teach their children such a simple word as Bia (come). This is not fair.

But then, that is not the only duty of Igbo Youth Congress. It’s about remolding their habits, their attitudes, so that you come out in the society and you behave well and people would reckon with you. The Igbos should come back to the basic. Let’s come home and know that being  igbo  is an honour. Reason is that Igbo  is a small race that is bigger than the entire universe. There is nowhere you won’t find an Igbo man. So, wherever you find yourself as an Igbo person, know it that you are an ambassador of this small race-behave well. Integrity should be your watchword.

What is your current testimony?

Just currently, I have been elected the Public Relation Officer of Nigerian Women International Shipping and Training Association. It’s an international body but the Nigeria chapter of it. It’s a big one indeed.

'My worst fear in life is the anger of God'