By Anote Ajeluorou
Ever wondered why the only
female presidential candidate Sarah Jubril in the last presidential primary in
2011 in the Peoples Democratic Party had just one vote despite having hundreds
of women that cast their votes? Why do women always fail to stand together in
communion with their kind to achieve a common purpose? What could women not
achieve should they chose to stand together and work in collaborative
partnership rather than bicker over silly issues? What specific strength can
women display for working together?
These are some
of the salient issues a new book on female power has strongly lent credence. Sista
Power by lifestyle coach and
motivational speaker, Bidemi Mark-Mordi, deals with the positive power women
wield and how collaboration like minds could help achieve great things for the
greater good of society. The book was launched last weekend in Lagos amongst a
close circle of friends and associates. The author Mark-Mordi is also the
publisher of a female magazine, Effectual, modeled after the once famous Digest.
In order for the audience at the presentation to gain better
insight into the book, a panel of four discussed the book. The moderator, Mr.
Tunde Fagbohunlu remarked that the book stresses the importance of collaboration,
which could be viewed against the background of the twin collaborative evils -
corruption and violence -threatening the corporate existence of Nigeria. He
wondered whether there wasn’t more collaboration amongst anti-social elements,
those that stand for evil than those that stand for good “for the kind of
society we now have in Nigeria”.
Fagbohunlu decried the “insularity among those who stand for
good in society. The author is urging for less insularity among good people for
the good of society. The book is about collaboration among women so they could
play greater roles that uphold social values; it’s about step by step ways of
achieving effective collaboration among women. Importantly, the author uses the
metaphor of the midwife”.
A panelist, Mrs. Unyime-Ivy King commended the author for
giving women a weapon that is capable of uniting their otherwise divisive
tendency. She noted, “We can do much more together than we will alone. This is
a generation where people want to belong without really being themselves”. King
stated that relationships had never been in more dire circumstances than now
and that Sista Power would help a
majority of people understand God’s purpose for relationships and their
collaborative influences on society generally.
She noted, “How can we relate in meaningful ways and be
truly ourselves, even amongst Christians? This is a powerful book.
Collaboration is really for everybody – men and women alike. People are so fake
these days, which is sad.”
For feminist, girl empowerment campaigner, Iheoma Obibisaid
the book spoke to me about what we do every day. It’s an opportunity for older
women to work with younger women, the opportunity to think outside the box and
offer another paradigm is something I came away with reading the book. Younger
women out there need to learn the virtues of collaboration; girls need to be
given the confidence to dream, to aspire to anything in life”.
Also Mr. Kayode Akomolafe, a pastor and panelist, stressed
the different paradigms Sista Power
offers makes it a fantastic book. He also commended the midwife metaphor the
author employs, and said the intervention of the midwife in the life of
individuals was crucial in weathering the peculiar storms of life. He gave two
instances of interventions he’d made in the lives of people, of a man who
attempted suicide because he couldn’t afford a simple surgical solution for his
son’s cleft lip and pay his school fees and offering help to a woman who had a
medical condition.
In each of these instances, Akomolafe said there were a lot
more wealthier Nigerians than he, but who did not feel compelled enough to help
the man who attempted suicide, noting, “The use of the concept of a midwife is
profound and it runs through the book. So, it’s not just collaboration among
women but it’s about the webmaster (God) who weaves intricately the webs of our
lives. We all have roles to play in life and there is the danger that failing
in that role results in the death of someone”.
Also present was President, Christian Booksellers
Association of Nigeria, Mrs. Modupe Ehirim, who, while commending the author,
also asked buyers to make a gift of the book to three people they know and
constantly remind them to read the book by insisting on feedback on it. She
said that that way the proper import of the book in people’s lives could be
fully realised.
While responding, the author Mark-Mordi said she used to
think that only smart people wrote books until she tried her it only to
discover that “it is the working of the holy spirit. It’s God displaying his huge
sense of humour. It’s about the message God planted in my heart. I didn’t set
out to write about collaboration but God put it in my heart”.
The author further urged Nigerians to read the book and
apply the principles in it “for our nation to be better. I’m determined that
Nigeria be greater and we must do our bit”.
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