By Morenike Taire & Florence Amagiya

Turning 80 is a prospect that quite amuses education icon, High Chief (Mrs) Winifred Awosika. As family, friends and staff members rally round to put finishing touches to high octane plans to celebrate the big day, she quips, “I don’t know what all the fuss is about; I feel exactly the same!”

Best known as Chairman/founder, Awosika (OON) is, at 80, as keen as ever to continue to do what she has always done best: moulding minds.

Still, she is very much unable to hide her concerns about current affairs and the goings-on in contemporary Nigeria. In the private garden of her home and permanent site of her school, she shares her thoughts with Sunday Vanguard.

You said Nigerians are their own problem. Why?

We are not very united at the moment. There are so many killings in the North, in Zamfara, in Gombe and everywhere. The kidnappings and all the ugly things happening in Nigeria are caused by Nigerians. Before now, Nigerians have always had Christians and Muslims living together without issues. I grew up in a home where there were Christians and Muslims staying together. I am from Owo and even though my dad was a Christian; he had Muslim relatives and it didn’t stop their contributions while we said our prayers then. They were equally asked to say prayers in family gatherings as well as Christian prayers. Today, it is not the same because brothers are killing themselves all in the name of religion. Who said that anyone is more righteous? Haven’t you heard of pastors tricking members and molesting them sexually?

Which family is that?

I come from the Osuporu family of Owo. If you know anyone from Owo, ask them for the Osuporu family. My father was the Treasurer, only next to the District Officer. He was very close to the Olowo (the Owo traditional ruler)
He went to the palace every day after returning from the office and resting. He wore coral beads on his ankles as a high chief. When he was returning at night it was the ‘cheke…’cheke’ sound of the corals that would tell us he was on his way. We would then run off to do our chores or whatever.

ALSO READ: Nigerian spouse, Biafran spirit

Who gave the discipline at home; your father or mother?

We were afraid of him. If we didn’t attend to our chores and our mother says she would inform him, we would get scared. Not that he would do anything, we just didn’t like being reported to him. I don’t have a memory of him flogging me as a child, it was always my mother and eldest sister who did that.

Would you say you were trained as one would train a male child?

No. The discipline by parents for the female child was different from the male. The female was to sweep, fetch water, and do general house chores. The boys performed different roles

How was school like in your days?

In our days we fetched water and did other house chores before going to school and if we ended up getting there late we would be caned by the headmaster.

You have so many teachers in your family. Is this a coincidence?

I wonder because my elder sister was a teacher and retired as headmistress of a school in Ibadan before opening hers. Her eldest daughter was working as a teacher with me, my other sister is heading a school in Ibadan and her youngest daughter has started a group of schools in Asaba. We are a family of teachers from my mother’s side.

What were the challenges you encountered when you wanted to go into the school venture?

The first was that my husband, Dr. Victor Awosika, of blessed memory had told me that the place of the woman is the home, that the woman is the home. He said the woman is the housekeeper while the husband is the breadwinner. I was a full-time housewife. Occasionally, out of boredom, I would beat my children unjustly. It was so until I picked up teaching. I taught in one or two schools for some months.

How did you meet your husband?

I was a 3rd-year student at the University of Ibadan. And a friend had come to tell me that a man wanted to see me. She claimed he said that he had met me before and I asked her where and how. Meanwhile, prior to that time, I had two suitors chasing after me. One was abroad, but he wouldn’t write or call me. The other one was in Nigeria and was not only calling but checking on me and even sending his siblings to check on me but l preferred the one schooling abroad. l took out time to pray about it. I needed God to give me my husband because I didn’t know what life held for me in future. I didn’t meet any pastor or anybody. I prayed to God who knows all things. I actually fasted right there in school and nobody knew what l was doing, not even my roommates. I would break the fast at 3 pm; take my meal from the dining room to my room to eat. When my friend came to tell me about this friend of her friend, I knew that God had answered the prayers. My husband did not waste time beating about the bush. He came, proposed and did everything. He sent me home to tell my parents.

ALSO READ: Supreme Court dismisses family’s bid to access Abacha’s foreign accounts

Was that not too fast?

I asked him what l should tell them. He asked me to tell them that l had known him for long. it was a short courtship and we got married eventually.

At what point did you decide to start a school considering the quality of public schools at that time?

I decided to start school because I knew that l could do it better. My husband and l had just returned from England and we went in search of a school for our children. The attitude we received from the only school we saw that had a standard was not encouraging. We were treated as though they were doing us a favour by admitting our children. I watched everything they were doing and I kept saying that I can run a better school.

How prepared were you?

I did training for my postgraduate education when I did research on nursery education. One of the questionnaires sent to parents was on what would be most considered when sending their children to school and all of them chose quality over distance and money. This became one major reason we emphasise quality at Chrisland school.

Did you sometimes feel discouraged?

I wasn’t discouraged. People were appreciative and supportive of my efforts. I didn’t put a signpost or advertise my school. I just said it should advertise itself and it did. I only wrote the name of the school on the gate. If there was a building of five flats and one of them had a kid in the school, by the next session, other children from that building would resume with our school.

How did you come about the name ‘Chrisland’?

I had chosen the name All Saints to be the name for the nursery arm, but someone told me that someone was already using that name in Ikorodu and when l entered this place in Opebi for the first time, l received an inspiration that this place belongs to Christ. It belongs to the Christians. couldn’t call it Christian Land, hence I coined Chrisland. That is how the name came about.

How did you manage to set a very high standard for Chrisland even at the very beginning?

It was easy because l would stand at the gate to welcome children from their parents’ cars into the school from the very beginning and l would tell the child who wasn’t properly dressed to follow the driver or the parent home. That way, the parents learned lessons and dressed the child better in their next outing to the school. But when l employed a white headmistress, she told me that, she wasn’t employed to be at the gate to welcome children but to be at her office. Meanwhile, I didn’t know I was doing much for the children until a white parent asked why l wasn’t at the gate anymore. I did it a few more times and stopped. But that tradition is still at Chrisland till date.

Chrisland University has now been added to the stable…

It has been the Grace of God because when I started it wasn’t easy. Like I said I became bored of staying at home. I used to be irritable and angry and sometimes I would beat my children and start crying because they were not troublesome. Then I had the inspiration to start school in our boys’ quarters. When we moved to Opebi, my husband allocated a portion of land for the school.

You seem to love sitting in your garden…

I love quiet places. I love to listen to the birds sing. Nature has a lot to say. I love sitting under the trees like this, away from the noise and think. Most times when my grandchildren visit and l close my eyes; they feel that l am sleeping but l am not. I am only thinking and meditating. I do that more these days.

What would you have done more if given the opportunity?

I would have loved to write my thoughts. There is so much l would have wanted to do, but l thank God for all He has done for me.

At 80, what has life taught you?

To be thankful. Life has taught me to be patient. You do not achieve all by too much struggling. Sometimes when a road seems to be closed, be patient and see what God has in store for you.

What would you say is your greatest achievement at 80?

Uniting my family is my greatest achievement so far. I was not only able to touch other people’s lives but also my own children’s lives also.

What do you think of the standard of education in the country?

I am not happy about it. When I used to write letters to my elder sister in Akure, she would correct my letters and send back to me. I would write out the correct way of writing. But the standard of education now is bad. The teachers are not teaching again, they are on strike all the time.

What is the way forward?

I think we need to be closer to God. When we have people who really care then it is halfway there. My last child who is a boy is married to a Calabar lady and we went there for the marriage ceremony. These people are nice people; they were nice to us. Why can’t we all live in peace?

Vanguard