Uche Azikiwe Quotes

When I got married in 1973 and came to Nsukka with my husband, one day I came across one of my classmates in secondary school. Her name was Sharon and I asked what she was studying. The next day, I met another person and another one after that. We were all in the same class at Abakaliki. I saw them at the time I had my second child, Uwakwe, and it just occurred to me that I had to do something. These were my classmates and they weren’t brighter than me in secondary school.

From what I know or what I read or what I have been reading, even recently on some of the platforms, the killing of the Igbo people was not acceptable to anybody. It was unacceptable to Zik the way Igbo people were killed in the North. When Ojukwu declared Eastern Region as separate nation, we all know that Zik supported him because he felt that he could not live and see our people – Ndigbo – being slaughtered for no just cause but as time went on, it didn’t work out. I even read on one of the platforms that an extract from a book written by the late Gen. Philip Efiong, who was second in command to Ojukwu, stated everything and why it seemed that people like Zik decided to leave Ojukwu.

If you overlook the women and their contributions, you are going nowhere, it seems as if you have two legs and you are running with just one; you won’t go anywhere.

He didn’t spoil me or anything; he didn’t have the money because he was giving scholarships to many people. Many people enjoyed his scholarships through to the end except you dropped out of school, got married or did not continue. I can’t say I had no knowledge of the Zik of Africa, no, but to say that that was what attracted me to him, I just don’t know. I know people from everywhere, including Yorubaland, enjoyed his scholarships.

Women should be allowed to play their role, their role is to help the men to rebuild the society in any form or shape.

That is why I will stand on behalf of Azikiwe to pray that whatever happens, Nigeria will never disintegrate. Please let us come together. It will make him happy and make some of his other contemporaries happy that Nigeria is one. Please, let our current leaders do something to make sure that Nigeria is one. One Nigeria is what we need.

It was regrettable that the men were still hiding under culture and traditions to relegate women to the background.

I had it very easy because I was not brought up to be proud. I hope I am not blowing my trumpet but I think I am very humble. Nobody will say that I crossed their path but if you cross mine or take me for granted, I won’t take it lightly, I would bring out police barracks life. Growing up in police barracks will make you tough.

We used to eat every meal together except when one of us was not at home. It’s something that bonds the family together. After eating, we would relax and chat. We argued and disagreed to agree. I had fun arguing with him even though I might not be correct and he would always caution me. He would say you have to be diplomatic, you are not diplomatic and I would say, why should I be diplomatic when I know that this is what it is. He would say, no, there is a way you have to put it, so it doesn’t just come out like that. You know these are fond memories and as I told you he was very protective of his family, but to me, it was a sign of love and care. He wouldn’t want anything to happen to any member of his family. That was why if you went out and didn’t return by 6pm, he would start worrying. I am happy that he is resting in peace because he did a good job for Nigeria and Africa.

There is need for advocacy which we can do through our traditional rulers, people need to come together to advance this course; to assist the women to play their role, everybody was born with a potential, God created all of us equal.

Any nation that realizes that women constitutes the other leg, you will see the impact, the country will grow and develop, it is my area sociology of education and gender studies; It has been proven that without women contributing, if you still believe in patriarchy, you are going nowhere.

The patriarchy is still in men; it’s like some men are afraid of allowing women to come up; they feel a woman should not be competing with a man, I feel advocacy is needed, that please, men, we are not coming to compete, there is no way a woman can be a man, I have my role to play, due to biological parts, a man has his own role to play, but if it comes to development of the society, both of them should work together.

After my National Youth Service Corps programme, I became hungry for more education. I had a master’s degree in curriculum education, development and planning. It was around that time in the 80s that gender issues came up, so I got interested in gender issues. I wanted to do my PhD in something related to gender issues and they said no, because my master’s degree was in curriculum education, development and planning. They said I must do something on gender issues before doing PhD in the same field. So I went to get a second master’s degree, this time in sociology of education and gender issues and my PhD in the same field. I will tell you how my husband appreciated my going to school. Every Christmas, he would give me a card and on February 4, my birthday too, he would give me a card and a letter.

My friends were shocked; they said, why can’t your husband talk to the university’s vice-chancellor so that you could get admitted. I said I would not do that and he would not do that either because I knew him very well. So he (my husband) asked me about the result and I said it was out but I wasn’t taken. He said okay. Then in 1976, I sat again. I think what affected me the first time was that they said for me to read geography, I must have one science subject. I was not good at sciences and mathematics. I failed mathematics in WASSCE because I didn’t like the subject. So, in 1976, I changed to English (Education) instead of the geography that I had initially chosen because I did very well in geography in WASSCE. So the first time, the reason was that I didn’t have mathematics. So the following year, I got admitted to read English (Education).

One leg is the male, the other leg is the female but in our society, it seems as if it is only one leg we are running with, that’s why we are where we are now.