Why I was crowned Adadioroma- Amb. Ginika Tor. (photos)

This is as culled from the Nigerian DailyPost Newspaper.

Amb. Ginika Tor

Recently, news went Viral on the social media on the coronation of Chika Ike and Oge Okoye in Amoli, Enugu state. Many bloggers however jumped the gun by not investigating why the duo of Chika Ike and Oge Okoye were honoured at the coronation ceremony of Ginika Tor. Our Entertainment Editor has through this interview gathered the full gist of the coronation ceremony as the person on whose platform the two artistes were honoured, Ginika Tor had spoken further on why she deserve the award as well  as well as her friends.

Ambassador Chief Mrs. Ginika Tor, Ada di ora nma 1 of Amoli kingdom is a Media personality focusing essentially on Media Consultancy, Corporate branding and Events management and is the Publisher of Exclusive Accolade International Magazine with a knack for excellence. Ginika who commenced her journey to the top with Okrika business in Lagos then veered into sale of clothings before venturing into the Media world. She had to wade through several limitations and difficulties in order to concretely establish herself as an Events Manager of repute. Her pedigree in Events Management and Publishing in Nigeria speaks volumes.

It is her growing concern for the development of her home state of Enugu and her people that encouraged her, to sidestep the usual, but terrible tradition of ignoring one’s root as a result of marriage that she revealed to our correspondent how, with the approval and support of her husband, she erected a 5 bedroom duplex in her village; a feat many married women can scarcely dare to achieve.  In this inspirational interview, she speaks on how she conceived the idea of building a house in her native village of Aloma even with just N10, 000 in her bank account, her relationship with her husband, girl-child abuse and other sundry issues.

Excerpts: 

Q.2013 appeared to be a successful year, what do you think about that?

A. Yes, it was a very successfully year. Through the favour of God, we had a lot of intentions, but I still tell you that we are yet to get to where we aspired to be. For some people, it was a very difficult year because I could recall how I and some of my friends complained about hard times and all that, but you see, it depends on what you call success. Some people might look at success as having so much money to throw around while some of us tag success to be contentment and sound health which brings about peace of mind and utmost happiness. Hence, if we are looking at contentment and sound health, I think it was a very successful year for me and my family. I can’t say for others because I don’t know their definition of success, but as for me, it was a very successful year and I thank God for last year.

Q. We thank God because part of that success was your coronation as Ada Di ora nma 1 of Amoli Kingdom, so what does Ada Di Ora Nma mean?

A. Adadioroma means the daughter of the soil that gladdens the heart of the community or the people of a community.

Q. So would you say that you deserve such an honour?

A. Well, it is not really right for someone to sing his or her praises but in a situation where you know you deserve such an honour, I think I should say I well deserve it. I quite deserve it because, if not for anything, the fact that I’m married to a Benue man, a Tiv man who in his wisdom has allowed me to put smile on the faces of my people, clearly shows that I deserve the honour done to me by my people.  God willing, we already have four kids; a girl and three boys, so I can say that I’m established in Benue kingdom, yet I did not forget my root, my motherland. I have always thought of my family and my home. It’s imperative to note that we have a humble community, especially my village, Amoli. In the whole of Aloma village, there was no single duplex but we have so many duplexes in my town, Amoli.  In that regard, I sat and I thought about what I should start to at least open up my village, ignoring the fact that I no longer belong there.  I told myself that my marriage to another tribal man doesn’t mean that I should throw them off. I then resolved to start building a duplex in the village. Some people see it as daring; they would simply say, a woman coming to do what everybody is afraid to do? But I wasn’t looking at anybody but unto God and I said no man born of a woman can harm me in as much as my ways are right before God Almighty who created the heaven and the earth. I agree that no man is perfect just as I am not a perfect being but i strongly have a good relationship with my God if not, I would have been wiped out of the face of the earth by evil people but one with God is majority.  

 I actually believed nothing was going to happen to me, so I started putting up the structure, but then, I had just three hundred thousand naira. Mind you, I had only ten thousand naira during the conception of the idea. Hence, the first Five Hundred Thousand Naira that first got into my hand that year, I quickly removed Three Hundred Thousand Naira and invested in the house.  I was determined within me that I would accomplish that goal irrespective of the obvious fact that the initial cash was small. I simply put procrastination behind me because it has done a lot of harm to not just me, but too many. Having seen how far I went with the building within one year, my uncle in the United States was impressed and found it as an inspiring move. Right now as we speak, he is raising an 8 room duplex. One thing about life is whatever you dream to achieve, just start and you will see it working out. I noticed that since I started the building in the village, my pocket has not gone empty.  That led to the realization that your attitude determines your altitude in life. When you start something very big, you will discover that your sense of reasoning will be enhanced. This is the story of how I got my family a five room duplex, the first ever in Aloma Village. They used to call my community Anukwegwu but I long rejected the name, my late father came up with an idea to change it to Aloma before he died. This is because Anukwegwu means the land of madness and I don’t want to be associated with such a name. Aloma on the other hand means the land of goodness.  I’m equally making moves to make this official. With the goodness that is beginning to find its way into my community, after the house was completed, they looked at it and said it was amazing for a woman to have come back from her husband’s place to honour her community with such a structure, so the Igwe of Amoli kingdom, His Royal Highness Igwe Emeaba Chimeuka 1 of Amoli Kingdom, deemed it fit to bestow an honour upon me, and I gladly accepted the honour because I saw it as something I actually merited. I was further inspired to accept it when he indicated interest to also honour my husband first for giving me all his support towards the success of the building project till it was accomplished, my husband was therefore honoured as IKUKU OMA NA EKURU ORA 1 of Amoli Kingdom, meaning the cool/good breeze  that blows on the community. My mother Chief Mary Chichetam Ijeomah and elder brother Chief Obinna Williams Ijeomah were honoured with Nmachi Di Ebube 1 of Amoli Kingdom meaning the beauty of God is amazing and Turu- Ugo 1 of Amoli respectively. I was not just honoured alone with my husband, mother and brother, some of my good friends and business associates were also honoured they include Chief Barr. Julie Donli (Ochiangha Nwayi 1 of Amoli Amoli ), Chief Amb. Oge Okoye (Igolo Nwayi 1 of Amoli), Chief Dr. Mrs. Mary Manzo (Ugo Chinyere 1 of Amoli Kingdom) Amb. Chief Chika Ike(Akwa-Ugo 1 of Amoli), Chief Elsie Eluwa (Achalugo 1 of Amoli), Chief Tessy Musa (Nwachinemere 1 of Amoli ), Chief Hajia Halima Bello (Nwane Dinamba 1 of Amoli), Chief Mrs. Alice Nwokobia (Okwesiri Aku 1 of Amoli), Chief Amb. Mrs. Nnoma Ukpabi (Ada Eji Ejenba 1 of Amoli), Hon. Mrs. Doofan Abu-Amali (Akwa-Ndu 1 of Amoli ). The honour has further put fire on me to see how I can move our community forward by investing in our youths. It will definitely not stop at building houses or digging boreholes. 

Q. I will like to know if you have plans to address some issues that confront us today, especially   girl-child abuse and women empowerments.

A. That is actually an issue I know touches my heart if given the opportunity to talk about it.  However, it’s no longer what it used to be as the campaign against child abuse in different quarters has actually helped to reduce it.  I think people are beginning to realize that the female child is as good as the male. Gone are the days when giving birth to a female child appeared like a taboo.  People are beginning to realize that women are actually the ones who truly elevate their homes.  It doesn’t matter where we get married to, because we don’t always forget our homes.  It is not that the men forget their homes; they don’t, but the responsibility of a man is enormous compared to that of a woman. When a man is married, he will look after his wife and his children and then look after his in-laws before he would even think of his immediate family members, but when you look at the woman, her husband is taking care of her, so the little she has, she will be able to take care of her family. So I want to encourage our parents and everyone that they should endeavour to educate the girl-child because education is important. Even though my parents didn’t have much, they were able to do the little they could to educate me. As for women empowerments, Lol...... haaaa, who will empower who?, is not working, let women stop deceiving themselves about empowerment , in fact Government should stop empowering women until they change their attitude towards developing each other. If one woman is given the opportunity to be in a position of authority, she is expected to carry other women along, that is women empowerment, I guess that was the desire of Her Excellency, Dame Patience Goodluck Jonathan, but is not working because those women she assisted to be in good positions of authority got there and forgot where they were lifted from only few persons remember to do what is right. Women are so horrible, full of envy and lack focus in life due to selfishness. I am sorry to say that women have a long way to go. In any case, I have been privileged to encounter good women who in one way or the other had inspired and encouraged me positively, like Most Distinguished Senator Erelu Folashade Grace Bent CON, I met her when I was just struggling and she accepted me as her daughter. I always recall her statement to me the first time I met her at NASS ‘’GINIKA, YOU HAVE SEEN NOTHING YET AND ACCOLADE WILL GO PLACES’’. Her Excellency Nnoma Rochas Okorocha , First Lady of Imo State knew me all the way in Jos and always tells me that she could see a great woman in me. Such utterances from these women of substance are sometimes worth more than money because they are prophetic. I detest women who use their wealth to intimidate others such as finding every possible means to humiliate them , I have personally had horrible experiences with or so call women of substance and that was when I finally come to a final conclusion that God is the  solid rock we should all stand for all other grounds are sinking sand. For all the women out there seeking to be established, hold onto your God for he is the author and finisher of our faith, be determined, be assertive, be patient, be focus, avoid idle & vain talks, identify your true friends and work with them, rejoice with those who are blessed so u can tap into it, don’t try to be like someone else but rather aspire to be YOU, hold onto your dream with the word ‘’YES! I CAN’’ until your dream come to fruition.  

Q. How were you able to convince your husband, who is a Tiv man, when you wanted to start the house project in your community?

A. Well, I want to change the concept of ‘group-souls’, when people categorize a particular group of people and generalize issues based on tribe. It is really not about being an Idoma person or a Tiv person. It is a general thing about men. It is even worse with the Igbos.  An Igbo man would equally not allow you as a woman to build just like that. Hence, we should be able to look at the issue individually instead of generalizing it. 

In that regard, I will say that it is all about understanding because marriage is equally about understanding. Some women, when they make money, sometimes make the men to behave the way some of them do. When you walked into my home, I was making Banga soup for my husband and he came back to eat the food happily.  When some women are given little opportunity, they take over the home, turning the man to a woman. When the man begins to notice this, he will start withdrawing some of the privileges. It takes understanding for the man to know that his wife is extremely busy, and this understanding comes when you play your card well as a woman. Once there is understanding, it is even the man that will motivate you by getting a cook to help you when you are busy. My husband was a Bank Manager. At a point, he was covering about four states but it got to a point when banks started having problems and he went into business. He was comfortable with the decision because he knew he had a very supportive wife. That’s what understanding is.  If a woman is given an opportunity, she should try to be submissive to her husband and be very sensitive because at that time, any little thing you say, the man will say because you have made money. If a man is making money, it is wise to encourage him to build at his home town, so when then you want to build yours, he would also want to support because you can make reference to how you had encouraged him in the past. I think my husband didn’t hesitate to understand because I had always showed him the respect he desired. Women should try to remain who they are when they make money. They shouldn’t let it get into their heads and begin to misbehave. What makes you a woman is when you are still under that roof of yours with the man beside you. My husband supported me all through the project because he saw that I never took advantage of the privileges. He is happy today because my people equally love and respect him for his continued support.

 Q. Can you tell us some major landmark projects you have handled recently?

Well, I don’t think I will begin to recall them because they are uncountable, but let me look at few significant ones. Apart from handling events for Senators like Sen. Manzo, Sen. Grace Bent and some Governors, I actually was the one who brought in some American wrestlers to Nigeria through UPWF.  That was when they gave me the award as ‘‘heart of gold” and also gave one to my company Accolade Media. Since 2012, I have handled different events in Enugu state; which among them was the Enugu state cultural festival which recorded a huge success. Event management is one thing I cherish a lot because it is not about what I make from it, because it is something that even at the end of the day, even if nothing comes out of it, I feel fulfilled for just organizing a successful event.

My Company organised the 2013 Kogi Confluence Carnival last year, with the support of sponsors like Dangote Plc.  I believe that we will have a better Carnival this year in Kogi state. We shall be having two major states events this year; the Kogi State Conference Carnival which will be taking place in November and the Enugu state Cultural Fiesta which will be taking place in December and my boss, the Commissioner of Culture and Tourism, Ozo. Joe Mmamel is always ready and strong to lead the team aright on realizing a huge success.  Apart from that, we hope to return DAAR Global Award to the screen this year. We also have something coming up with the National Sports Commission, and any moment from now, you will start hearing about it. We also have a powerful one coming up with Nadia Buari, the screen goddess, on the 31st January this year, where we will be premiering a movie on drug abuse. Please don’t miss out on these events because you will see the Accolade signature of excellence on them. I promise you that and more.

God has truly been faithful. God is more than everything in life and if you don’t value him, begin to value him now. In whatever situation you are, God will see you through. As for me, I will continue to thank him for all he has done for me, my family and company.                          

            

 

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