Mrs Esy Oluwafemi, the producer and presenter of “Odini Mma Ndokwa” an Ndokwa Talk show presented in Ukwani language on an international platform. A programme that is aired on Sky TV, a Worldwide Television Network. Speaking to the Publisher of Ndokwa Reporters from London, United Kingdom, she expressed the passion of a woman who feels that enough is not been done to project the Ndokwa Nation. She talked of her dream to see how the people of Ndokwa can gain easy access to information for their development. How even when outside Ndokwa Land the people’s tradition should not be allowed to be extinct.
In speaking with her, you will find a woman with passion. A woman who is a daughter of Utagba- Ogbe, married to a westerner (Nigerian) but loves to promote her place of origin, home town and the entire Ndokwa land. A woman who want to see that Ukwuani language does not extinct.
Excepts
Background
Mrs Esy Oluwafemi is from Utagba Ogbe in Ndokwa West LGA. She is married to Bishop Joel Oluwafemi. She runs a charity that help support young people and their families in Southeast London.is an Agriculturist, resides in the United Kingdom. Esy is the chair of Southwark Council Teenage pregnancy Commission. Her passion is to see the reduction in high rate of Teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, knife and gun crime among young people. She is a campaigner for a better life for children and young people. She works tirelessly with Parents, Communities, Schools, politician, Local Authorities and Faith groups to help drive the high rates down. Esy is a Diabetic UK Champion and helps to promote healthy life style. Esy is a University Mentor, supervisor and assessor. A mother of five helps in the church and runs her television programme.
Odini Mma Ndokwa
I feel I am connected to my culture and the only way that I can help to preserve the culture and tradition of Ndokwa People, especially in faraway place like the United Kingdom, is through this program. The culture is rich and it needs to be preserved and promoted for our children.
Motivation and focus
The program Odini Mma Ndokwa is to inform in two ways. First to project the Ndokwa people to the international community and secondly to tell our people of what is happening that will be beneficial to their well-being and development.
Issues like
Issues such as high young pregnancy, family deprivation, dysfunctional families, drugs, alcohol, drop out of school and issues like natural disasters.
And how do you think such campaigns will work here
One thing is that the world is facing the same issue because travel has becomes easier across borders. Levels of issues differ depends on how they are managed. I believe with a local touch that proven techniques used in UK can be applied to solve similar problem in Ndokwa. By local touch I mean how Ndokwa do thing, in our own ways. For instance, the way awareness is done in the UK is not necessary the way it should be done in Ndokwa, but awareness is a method to solve problem anywhere.
South Sawrk, we have issues similar to what we have back home like teen pregnancy, divorce cases, drug addiction just name it. Since we started even the municipal authority have used many of our ideas to resolve some of these problems in the community.
How
Lets look at it this way. The year 2012 our people experienced the first issue of flooding which threw many family into confusion. Many organisations, the government and individuals did all that they could do to savage the bad situation, but still there was problem. Many of the relief materials could not get to the people. But there was another issue, the time of warning and evacuation. Our people need to be informed and well educated that when such warning is giving, they need to obey and move away. Here in the UK, where such occurrences do happen almost all the time the people are informed and if they refuse to move, the government will have no option but to use the police. Look, information is power. The government cannot give all.
So, Odini Mma Ndokwa is out not only to inform the world about the Ndokwa people and culture, but also, that my people will also learn from other people on similar subjects and use it to further their development.
Let us look at some social and family issues like early child pregnancy. It is with us here in the UK. But again not that they are trying to promote such acts, but when it happens, the family and government will not abandon the person. They will see that after a successful delivery, the child will have to go back to school. That child is never rejected. The government will not allow it and the parent and society are working to see the life of such persons continues unhindered.
There are also issues of dysfunctional family where there is a widow or widower. Our people need to be informed on how best to tackle this problem. That you are a widow or widower does not mean you cannot continue your life in a better way.
Again here in the UK, there is joy for you to enter politics. There is no fear of acts of violence. You feel the love of being part of the people in government. Our people need to be well informed on the need to take part in politics so they can join in making better policies for development. Through this program we also want to achieve the aim that politics does not have to be violence.
Above all, Odini Mma Ndokwa is to inform and educate the person that with information, better information you can achieve a lot. Issues can be easily be solved.
Audiences and Responses
Our audience is the world and specifically the people of Ndokwa where ever they may be. And the response had being tremendous. We had received calls from home. Utagba-Unor, Obiaruku, Amai, Abbi, Ogwashi-Uku, Asaba, Warri. So people are keying into it, and we want more people. That shows our people are listening. And this makes me happy. And one thing, we give people the opportunity to call in and take part in the discussion during the program.
Age Range
Well it had been more of an adult affair. This makes me to wonder where the youths are. However our next edition will focus on the youths. We have gotten a number of them. I believe there should be more interaction between the youths at home and those outside. So far we have aired 4 editions all adults.
Take for instance, the youth group, Save Ndokwa Nation Group (SNNG) led by Marcus Enudi is doing wonderful well. The other day, they paid a visit to some orphanages. The pictures from that journey was a wonderful one and it shows that we have to work together to build Ndokwa. And talking of that again, it tells us that such a home for the orphans will be in that state for years. It doesn’t have to be government all through. When these things are brought out the government may react, but we can help by discussing our issues and finding solutions to them outside government.
And for this Program, Why Sky TV
First we have a partnership agreement with them under our brand, Olive TV. And secondary, Sky TV is a worldwide TV network. The aim of Odini Mma Ndokwa is to project Ndokwa tradition and culture, including the people, to preserve it, and make it well known to the world. Take for instance our dialect, Ukwuani we are already losing it to the English language. English, pidgin and broken English is spoken on Ndokwa Street, in place of Ukwani. Those in Diaspora make effort to preserve it by teaching their children, so that Ukwani does not go extinct.
On the Ndokwa Woman
The Ndokwa woman should be ready to be informed. They should love it, because with this they can solve so many problems. For instance, a woman in labour should be able to get to her midwife or doctor as quickly as possible with her mobile phone.
Young people should be able to have information on sex and relationship before they dabble into unsafe sex that would cause big problem later in their lives.
Widow/Widowers have access to information that can help them cope and improve their lives in the absence of their spouse.
So the Ndokwa woman should seek and love information as this will enable her bring up an Ndokwa informed child of next generation. This Odini Mma Ndokwa show will explore life issues in Ukwani right to your door step in Ndokwa East, West and Ukwani LGA.
Appeal
You are invited to watch and call in during the live show to encourage the guests. It is a new thing and learning experience for us. We are doing our best to talk in Ukwani and I want to encourage every Ndokwa person to do the same.
Contact
If you like to televise anything please get in touch.
At: Sky channel 594 Olive Television
5am – 6am (GMT) and 6am – 7am (Nigerian Time)
(This show can be seen in Nigerian on My TV channel).
Live Online/ Streaming: KingdomLife-Tv.com (only during show)
Call / Text:+44 (0) 75 3926 2681(during & after the show)
