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| Managing Director, Goals & Ideas and Principal Consultant, Edumark, Mrs. Yinka Ogunde, shares her experiences with BOSEDE OLUSOLA-OBASA |
You were known for your prime place in the advertising industry. Why did you veer into education?
I am still very much into advertising. In fact, I am the current Chairman, Women in Advertising and ex-officio member, Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria and I also have things I’m doing for the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria. I love advertising because it has trained me to think outside the box.
I’m a seasoned marketing communications strategist. I graduated from University of Lagos in 1984. I have a B.A English, MSc Mass Communication. I worked shortly with the Nigerian Television Authority and the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State, and have since been in the marketing communications field. I actually began my career in this field at Promoserve, an organisation where I worked on several multinational accounts. I later served with M-Gold Communications before setting up Goals & Ideas, the Marketing Communications agency, which gave birth to Edumark.But Edumark appears to be giving you more fame than the mother company…
Well, the majority of people appear to identify me more today with Edumark, but I must say that this would have been impossible without my marketing communications background because all we are doing is applying the tools of IMC to the education sector to make brands stronger and more able to achieve their set objectives. So I don’t feel that Edumark in itself would have been a success without leveraging on the platform that Goals & Ideas had created for decades.
How has the reception from schools been?
We’ve been in this line of business for about 10 years. I believe that stakeholders in this industry can appreciate the sincerity and value of the product. The reception has been very encouraging, both in the public and private schools. Over the years, we have discovered that educational institutions have peculiar challenges. One of them is in the area of marketing and managing the school brand. We package products that touch all the stakeholders in the sector, whether the school owners, the parents, the children, non-academic employees and even people who do business with schools. We provide consultancy services for institutions in various areas. We also go into strategic partnerships with credible organisations who may wish to deliver products/services required by the educational sector.
You left the university at age 21, how has it been working all your life?
Oh my God, (laughing) you just made me realise that I been working all my life. Do you know that I have never realised this? I think I should give myself a break. I always have something doing. Some of my friends have nicknamed me ‘Project’ because I am always talking about a new project to pursue. But you know what? I’m enjoying every bit of it. I love what I do, so I don’t even feel that I have been working actively for decades of my life. I ask myself, ‘What would I do if I wasn’t doing this?’ I love to work, I love to talk to others about doing things better. Even my husband sometimes wonders at my schedule of work, he prompts me to take a break at intervals. For instance, we recently established a base in Ghana for Edumark and in respect of the Total School Support Seminar Exhibition, a yearly programme organised by Edumark. We have been holding it in Nigeria over the years and I’m already thinking of spreading out to other African countries and beyond. There is also the annual ‘We Are the Future of Nigeria’ forum, which actively engages teenagers to participate in nation building by stimulating them to discuss and proffer solutions to Nigeria’s problems through essay writing and other activities. Edumark also publishes an educational journal for schools and so on. At this point in life, one thing that I am learning to do is to take a break off work.
When was your last vacation?
I try to observe it regularly but I take short breaks, say two weeks. The seaside in Gambia is always a delight for me. I was there recently and I love the closeness to nature. Standing on your balcony, you will feel that you can touch the sea from where you are. It gives me perfect relaxation. I was also in Germany last year. But even when I am on holidays and away from Nigeria, I tend to work more because of the technological gadgets that I have with me. The temptation to keep working is very high.
At almost 50, you still keep a great figure, what’s your keep fit schedule like?
I do a six-kilometre walk every morning except on Sundays or whenever I have to leave home very early in the morning. I join other people at the Police College, Ikeja from 5.30am. So, though I have a slightly big stature, I’m very fit and agile. Aerobics starts there much later for people who want to stay behind. The interesting thing is that once you get talking with people as you do the walk, you won’t even realise when you have done 10 kilometres, but I usually stop after doing six kilometres.
Your children are now graduates. How was it raising them and working?
Hey, my sister, it is well. That is why I take time to encourage younger women to choose a schedule that helps them get the best results. Women must never sacrifice good child training on the altar of career achievements. Children are our future and we must instill the best training in them at every stage of life. At a point in my career at Promoserve, I had to resign from work because my four-year old daughter once pulled a heavy room divider on herself and got seriously wounded. She was on admission for long and I had to be with her. I returned to my field later. I must however sound a note of caution to women here. During the years when you believe there is a need to be out of work to look after domestic issues, don’t stop developing yourself. The way the world is today, if you stay out of a profession for two years or more, by the time you are returning, a lot would have changed, especially in a field like ours. So, even if you are at home taking care of your baby, you can attend seminars and conferences that will last for few hours so that you can stay abreast with trends in the industry. It is bad to go on such breaks and by the time you are coming back, you have forgotten how to write a good proposal. Women should not do that damage to themselves. If you leave your brain idle, it will go to sleep. It is easier today because all you need to know is in your palm. ICT devices afford you that opportunity. There is no excuse. The truth is that there are times when women find it really difficult to combine work with raising kids. At that point, a couple should agree on whether their financial capacity can afford the woman staying off work for a period, or if all she needs is a kind of support system, which our African setting affords us. Efforts must be made to secure a balance.
How would you describe your husband’s support?
It is impossible to achieve these without the support of my husband. That is why it is important to continue to seek ways of renewing the relationship by caring for things that one’s partner cherishes and holds in high esteem. As a career woman, I have learnt to give priority attention to my duties as a wife and mother. It is very easy to slip from reality and assume that your spouse understands. So when I’m really on the go, I keep watching his signal to know when to slow down and care for things that keep the relationship going. I remember once, a close relation saw me at the market and she exclaimed, asking if I still make those special soups she loves. Of course, I answered her in the affirmative. I’m not saying that I do that all of the time, but I take time to do the really special dishes that I know my husband and household enjoy. This is a way of showing them that I care about them. I must never grow beyond the reality of the kitchen. One of the ways I achieve this is to ensure I have basic ingredients at home; I get someone to tidy up all the items for me and I come and do the actual cooking of the soup myself. There is no maintenance-proof marriage; every relationship must be adequately maintained for the common good.
What do you think your husband can’t resist about you?
I won’t talk about that (laughs). But I know what my husband loves about me and I certainly will never take him for granted. I value him and his contributions to my life. Generally, I have a principle of not taking people for granted. I believe that every human being deserves to be respected. There is a church I love going to anytime I travel out and that is because of their unique way of greeting one another. They greet each other saying, “I celebrate you.” You can see the radiance and happiness those words ignited on all faces. It is good to celebrate people.
Where in your house do you love to be the most?
Usually, I just love to sit in a couch in my room and read a soft novel that will not task my brain at all. I belong to a family where everyone reads often. Apart from having been raised by a mother who was a teacher, I got married to a lawyer, Wemimo Ogunde, a senior advocate of Nigeria. He reads a lot, so from the beginning, whenever I see that he is reading, the natural thing for me to do is to pick a book too. The children also follow in that step. My son recently graduated as a lawyer. That is why even when we are relaxing we read; the only difference is that we read soft novels.
Is your Ogunde from late Pa Hubert Ogunde’s family tree?
Yes. My husband is one of his sons. His mother, Madam Adesewa, was baba’s third wife. She died in the 70s before Baba’s eventual demise.
Are any of your children taking after their grandfather in acting?
No, people usually ask that question but none of them can step into his shoes. We all appreciate the legacy of Baba Ogunde, but it is difficult to find the level of devotion that he accorded the acting profession. There are members of the family who are still in that line, but the drive to keep his works in perpetual remembrance is the commitment of the entire family. He was really outstanding and all the children are endowing a monument in his honour soon. There is going to be a museum in Ogun State where all his paraphernalia and personal effects will be kept for future references.
When last were you out on a date with your husband?
Last weekend, in the evening. We were at Shoprite together to see a movie. Even though I can’t remember what it was all about, I recall there was a lot of shooting in the movie. I also had a bucket of popcorn on the table while that lasted and I really enjoyed it. As it is now, our kids have their own lives to live and we try to take care of one another and rediscover ourselves. We should have gone out again last week, but it had to be rescheduled because he had a meeting to attend. Even when the children are physically close by, they are of fewer words because of the social media.
Source: Punchng
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