By Morenike Taire

Fit-as-a-fiddle Opral Benson, popularly known as the Iyaoge of Lagos, believes everything that could be written has been written about her. And so for the occasion of her 80th birthday which she celebrated last month, Woman to Woman preferred to chat with her about her charity work, as well as the legacy she would like to leave behind.

You have an unusual amount of activity in the non-profit, to what do you attribute this?

I think that we need people to help with NGOs and activities that could move the country forward and empower people so they could be made independent in their own right. If there’s anything I know that I can do to make the next person’s life better I should go ahead and do it. After all, what am I here for?

Opral Benson

What does the milestone of your 80th mean to you?

To be grateful to God that I’ve lived this long and to thank everyone who has participated in my little victories one way or the other. There have foes, there have been friends, there have been family and I think my milestone now is to do what I’ve been doing, keeping myself fit, busy, looking after individuals and NGOs and trying to be a complement to the society in which I live.

At this point is it appropriate to ask what legacy you would like to leave behind?

That I did my best when I was here and to live my life the best way I could- productive and without being a problem to anyone. I tried to help as much as I can in this country, in Liberia where I was born and brought. Interacting with other people. Also I had a school that trained people in the beauty profession and by so doing we have been able to put many people into jobs and also catering for themselves and to make a living one way or the other through the beauty industry. I am glad that I did. To be useful to somebody- that is my legacy

You have been so decorated with so many different awards. Which one means the most to you?

Every one of them; I don’t want to discriminate. So far I have had a hundred and something awards from various groups, organizations, individuals, governments, international and it won’t be fair on my part to say this one is good and that one is not good. If they think that much of me and they want to give me an award I would want to say that all of them have been good but I think that because government has recognized me in Nigeria and Liberia and given me awards, I place government on top of the individuals. It doesn’t mean that their award means more to me. It just means that being recognized by the countries in which I’ve lived.

To you, what role could fashion play in Africa’s development?

Fashion like any other business tends to improve the personality of people. Fashion is how you carry yourself and what to do with yourself and all of that makes you feel self confident and love yourself and let others love you.

Beyond the individual…

It also provides a living for people- designers, tailors. It’s one of those things that will always be on the ground. They contribute as well to national development.

So much has been written about your celebrated marriage to TOS Benson.

I don’t know why they are writing so much about my celebrated marriage- a marriage is a marriage, why are they celebrating mine? Because we came from two different countries?

I know I’m not coming to this world again. I might come as a spirit but I won’t come as a young lady getting ready to get married but what I did was something I felt very strongly about at that time and I still feel that I did not make a mistake so if I was a young girl all over again- which is not going to happen- and the circumstances on the ground were the same I would do it again.

Your country Liberia produced the first female African president ever. Do you see this as an advantage?

I think so because it has encouraged many women to be able to think positively about themselves and know what they can achieve. What a man can do administratively a woman can also do.

The country of your birth was once war torn. What is the role of women in peace keeping?

Women have to first of all the whole concept of peace and what it’s all about. There are people out there trying to destroy peace and I think that from the home, from friends, from acquaintances, you have to understand what it’s all about which is getting ahead with each other so that at the end of the day they are not putting petrol into the fire. They are trying to solve problems in a positive manner. They are trying to make people see what they cannot see in terms of how we can develop ourselves. I think it’s from the love angle and point of view that women can really help. We have to go out there and really try to talk. It comes from interaction with others in a very positive manner.

In our particular situation in Nigeria, how could this happen?

I don’t think I’m in a position to know what is happening in Nigeria because like you and others in the media write, I just read what you write so I cannot say what situation we are really in. I read what the papers say then I use my own brain and try to analyze and I try to compare. Don’t follow everything you read or hear but do the best that you can to help the situation- anything that is pleasant, anything that is peaceful.