Bose Uwadia, Assistant General Manager, A and C Engineering and Marine Services Limited, is the incumbent President of Ikeja Pearls Lions Club. For 17 years, this Biology graduate of Bendel State University, now Delta State University, was a homemaker. Senior Reporter, ANTHONIA SOYINGBE, had a chat with her on her career and passion for charity among other issues.
Uwadia
What has been your experience since you were saddled with the responsibility of running this all-female service club?
It is not just challenging, because, it is an all-female club, but, the concept of the club being a charity organisation. We thank God because everything has been going on well with us as a charity club.
What is your star project during your tenure?
Alleviating hunger in the society.
What inspired you to embark on this project?
Towards the end of year 2013, I didn’t know that we have a lot of people in need. I decided to do something on my own as my little personal charity. But, I ended up doing it for the club at the insistence of the former president of the club. I bought raw foodstuff and I had it in mind of sharing it for just 50 widows. But by the time we got to the venue in Ajegunle, it was a different story. We shared the items to them and some of them started crying. I thought they felt the gifts were small or that they were remembering their late husbands. But, when I asked, one of them told me that it was tears of joy as they never knew someone will remember them. They were overwhelmed and they appreciated it. What touched me most was that I bought medium-sized tin tomatoes and one of them came to me telling me that next time I should buy small-sized tin tomatoes as they could not finish the medium-sized can and it might go bad. She suggested that I give them like three small ones instead of the medium-sized. That also got me thinking that something is happening in the country that we don’t know.
I have been to destitute homes; these people numbering hundreds don’t have any means of livelihood. All they do is wait for people to bring things for them. I was at Majidun and I couldn’t believe that human beings could be living in such a community. I told myself that it would be right if I give out food to people because it is not just about building hospitals as people will feed before they go to hospitals.
It has been overwhelming because anywhere you go to, you think you have enough, but, it is never enough. We shared 120 bags of rice in December 2014 at a community in Mushin. You need to see how people turned out and at a point, people almost started fighting. The community leader called me the following day asking if we would come because there were queues in front of his house as people were expecting us to come and give them these food items again. This is a pointer the level of poverty and hunger in our society.
Despite activities of charity organisation in alleviating poverty, there is still poverty in the land. Is it that these organisations are only paying lip service to what they claim they do?
We have too much poverty in the land and charity organisations are doing a lot. I think the government is not doing playing its part because organisations don’t have much resources like the government. Poverty cannot be eradicated totally in any society; but, our government is not doing their own part. Most beggars are not handicapped; they are begging because they are unemployed. I think it is high time government came up with enlightenment and empowerment programmes. I remember the Oba of Lagos telling me sometime back they are trying to get area boys off the street, but, more keep coming out and this is happening due to unemployment. It is a difficult task to tackle; but, the government has a major role to play in this.
So many people join service clubs like yours for different reasons, including travelling out of the country, making business contacts and other benefits. Why are you a Lion?
You are right that people join because of different reasons and some people mistake service clubs for social clubs. Some don’t have the right orientation before they join. But, in my own case, I joined the club because I wanted a larger platform to serve. Before I joined Lions Club, I was the president of Aglow Ministry, which is a women prayer ministry that is basically about charity. I have always been charity-minded. I have always done charity on my own. But, joining this club enables me to do charity on a bigger platform. I got into charity by looking around me and feeling blessed that some of these people who are created by the same God who created me are humans and I am just a little bit more privileged than them. It is not their fault that they are where they are. If you have too much, what do you do with all you have? Give out a little bit of what you have because when you die, you won’t take everything with you and you will leave all the wealth you have accumulated. My principle has always been to take out what is sufficient for you and give out the rest.
How are you coping?
I thank God for His grace. I don’t know how I would have coped if I had been the president in the last three years. My children are in school and I don’t do school runs like I used to do before. I have all the time to myself now. Apart from office work, I do Lions Club and I attend to my husband.
How many years have you been a homemaker?
Yes, I was a homemaker, home doctor, home engineer and home everything for 17 years. I decided to join my husband in his business after all my children had gone to school since I don’t have to stay back at home for them anymore.
How were you able to fit into corporate organisation having been out of it for 17 years?
I have always been part of this organisation; but, I was committed like I am now. Before becoming a homemaker, I had worked in a private organisation. So, I am coping well. I wasn’t working for 17 years; but, I was not too far from this organisation and I was contributing my own quota to its development.
How interesting is it being involved in your husband’s business? Can it be boring at times?
This is something I will encourage, because, if you can work elsewhere and you give a minimum of eight hours to someone else’s business, it will be more rewarding if you invest such in your spouse’s business. It can never be boring, because, he is someone in love. I am fine, I enjoy it and I think my husband enjoys it. If I want to take my car in the morning, he is always making one excuse or the other why I should ride in his.
The post It’s lovely working in one’s spouse’s business – Uwadia appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.