Dr. Omoayena Rosemary Odunbaku: Braving the Odds 

Dr. Omoayena Rosemary Odunbaku is the Programme Management Officer, Human Settlements, Anglophone West Africa with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat. Before that, she held the dual position of acting Head, Governance Unit, and Programme Manager, Africa Urban Agenda programme, AUA in same organisation. But prior to that, Dr. Odunbaku was a lecturer in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Lagos, as well as the Department of Town Planning, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Ojere, Ogun State. Also, with a Doctor of Philosophy in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Lagos, Nigeria, she has, as a researcher spent time advocating for a cleaner environment in the poor neighbourhoods of Lagos metropolis. As a strong advocate for the empowerment of the girl-child, women, and youth who is deliberate about devoting a significant proportion of her time to mentoring youths, her book, OMOH, which was published on her 40th birthday, is an objective account of her journey to becoming a successful African professional who has braved the odds. She bares it all in this interview with MARY NNAH

Your professional career has been within a single spectrum of urban planning, as a lecturer and technocrat in UN-Habitat. What inspired this career trajectory?

Dexterity, Determination, and Destiny! As far back as my undergraduate days, I wanted to become three things and two of them: after extensive research, discussions, reading biographies and relevant professional resumes, I identified and mentally planned my professional career to become a university Professor and United Nations Staff. To become a professor one had to work in a university and the prerequisite by National University Commission was a Ph.D. or enrolled for Ph.D. So I enrolled and worked toward the university lecturer appointment in the bid to become a professor someday and actualising my first dream. I had planned that I would start searching for a UN appointment after I had become a professor, but as destiny would have it, I got the UN appointment even before the completion of my Ph.D.

From your vantage position as an expert, what is your perspective on how Nigeria is faring in terms of urban planning? What are the areas that need improvement? And what is the forecast for the future given the status quo?

There have been some deliberate interventions but there is more work to be done. A lot of work to be done. Most settlements do not have spatial plans and those that have are not being implemented. It is one thing to have a plan it is another to implement and enforce. I do not get tired of using Abuja and Lagos as examples of planned cities, although we might criticise implementation and enforcement. The benefits of urban planning cannot be overemphasised in the attainment of economical, physical, environmental and social sustainability.

As a nation and as a people, we cannot continue to have unplanned human settlements as the consequences are dire. Health hazards due to pollution and overcrowding, traffic congestion, precarious settlements, increased crime and violence, etc.

If you were to have an alternative career, which path would you have taken, and why? 

Economics. I wanted to become a Civil Engineer, but as fate would have it I am a proud Urban Planner. My experience in the last two decades would identify the vacuum of urban economics and finance and this informed my answer to your question about an alternative career.

Your book is an account of your journey to becoming a successful African professional. How was that journey difficult or otherwise on account of you being a woman?

A Professional journey is always peculiar, especially for an African woman with kids. My book chronicles not only my successes but also my failures. It illuminates my childhood and adolescence as well, as the internal and external effects of decisions that others make on our behalf with or without your consent. I would relate my journey to be a mix of sensations – love, hate, joy, sorrow, peace, confusion, success, and failures. A story should not only be an account of successes but a reflection of the entire journey. Life presented tough scenarios, especially on future promises, however, I am most grateful to those who have shared in my moments, especially family and mentors.

As an advocate of empowerment for girl-child and women, what are the practical ways you think our society can engender equality and equity for the female gender?

I would go with equity. There is a Yoruba adage “ona kan o wo oja” meaning one road doesn’t lead to the market. Mass education, aggressive advocacy and empowerment, mentorship, sponsorships, scholarships, etc. Whilst all these are valid, I have a passion for creating enabling platforms for the girl child and women. Boys and men have more formal and informal platforms to meet, exchange ideas and build knowledge while the females are somewhat restricted. It is sufficient to say that the girl-child is battling with the hangover of centuries of subjugation, subservience, and silence just for being specially created and uniquely built. This has resulted in a metaphysical ceiling turned into self-doubt which has continuously hindered her ability to aspire for greatness and attain her potential. Despite these negatives, girls still strive to engage with relevant stakeholders in the quest for emancipation and have continually proven that they are unscripted and unstoppable. These efforts are mostly in silos and uncoordinated groups.  This inspired me to found HerAbility Hub in consultation with a faculty of like minds. HerAbility Hub is inspired by the eight indicators of the Platform of Action nine indicators for girls “Promote girls awareness of and participation in social, economic and political life” and it is conceptualised to create a central platform for girl child networking and also connects multiple girl child community hubs.

Nigeria has a teeming population of youth which should naturally be an advantage for the country but is presently a concern due to the high unemployment figure.

I agree that we have a golden opportunity that if not harnessed has grave adverse effects. The government just must review existing Youth and employment policies to stimulate economic growth. Most social policies are hardly linked with economic policies; hence we suffer such setbacks not only as a nation but as a continent. Education – I am not referring only to tertiary education – which includes, technical colleges, trade institutions, etc to serve the broad spectrum of the demand as envisaged in future economic blueprints. Social, economic, and physical planning must be integrated and complementary with the primary goal of the bigger picture of posterity for all Nigerian citizens.  

How would you advise young people to prepare themselves for a better future where the government is not likely to provide everything they require?

A better future isn’t served a la carte. You must continuously work hard and be strategic. Building a high Intelligent quotient that is complemented with emotional quotient and information. I mean verifiable information, not bandwagon headlines and hearsay talks.  I opine that the first stage is to understand that no one owes you anything in this world. That said, as a citizen, you have a right to certain things. A right is different from debt, we often confuse both.

Mentoring is critical to the empowerment of an individual. Who were your mentors? How did they mentor you? In what ways are you involved in the mentoring of others?

Prof Taibat Lawanson is my forever mentor. I was deliberate about it and grateful we are sisters now. I saw her walk into the faculty and a few minutes later she was standing to inform of the class introducing herself as our lecturer. She ignited my passion for lecturing as she was very young. I would then follow up on her regularly until I thought it was right for the proper introduction. Prof Iyiola Oni was my sister’s lecturer, I heard he was on the board of LAMATA and had gone to him for a favour, after our discussion he asked me to come to see him the next day. On getting there, he obtained a Ph.D. form on my behalf, to my surprise. He counseled me on the importance of not losing track of one’s dreams due to disappointments, today he is a father figure in our home. Mariam Yunusa was my boss at the UN and literary my mother, I do not call her my mentor but a grand mentor. She mentored Taibat Lawanson and Taibat Lawanson mentors me……I am other professionals’ mentor, Ms. Edna Tobi, Prof Oyebanji Oyeyinka,  and others. I also have a long list of mentees who comprise former students, colleagues, family and friends. I mentor them by disseminating relevant information and opportunities, giving counsel based on experience, serving as a professional guardian and sometimes going as far as being their sponsor when the need arises. I am also the founder of HerAbiity Hub.

What would you consider your most memorable moment as a lecturer, and why?

Every time I stood in front of the class to deliver lectures to the students. My style was quite different, and the majority embraced it warmly. We had very interesting exchanges because they were very free with me. We had an exchange platform called easyclass, I had asked them to subscribe to and on that platform just like social media now, the exchanges would inform the temperaments during the next class. During one session of spatial economics, we were analysing the market structure of Lagos traditional settlements, the discussion is still very fresh in my memory. I witnessed the power of collective- innovative thinking. Even the tagged unserious students gave in their best which helped in improving the quality of presentations.

As a career woman, how do you balance the high pressure of your job with family obligations?

I am very deliberate about that. It is not easy I must say. It is a continuous process of giving your all and thinking of the best ways to strike the balance. I am very present in the life of my kids but in some cases where I am left with no choice, I outsource some part of my motherly duties, for example, dropping off and picking up the kids from school and after-school hours teacher for extra coaching. I will draft a mealtime table for the domestic staff to follow and always follow up with whatever is happening in the house personally or monitor via phone when I am away from the duty station.  I still cook for my husband and amongst several strategies, we decided to opt for morning walks over gym sessions, it affords us one hour of quality time during the week. Family is everything and en-kindling the bond is a secret to my high performance at work.

What are the lessons of life you would want the younger generation to imbibe?

Life is not a bed of roses, it could be difficult in noses, pick up all odds and swim against the tide, the promised land awaits you. Also, life is not a bed of turns because it is mostly what you make of it, and you should leave luck to chance and not base your future on chance and miracles.  Focus, we are all unique in our own ways.

What is your worldview about women empowerment because sometimes there is a disagreement that feminism is not the same thing as women empowerment? 

In my opinion, feminism has several perspectives aimed at mentally and socially empowering women. Both are championing the course of the girl child and women to overcome those old and contemporary obstacles to their success and advancement. On a personal note, I evangelise that the reality should be that a glass ceiling shouldn’t exist and must be shattered but to do so, an army of empowered women is needed, and it begins with them.