Grace is one word that can aptly summarise the 97 years of Chief Mrs. Olufunke Arthur Worrey.
In 97 years, she has been an Executive Member of the Nigerian Federation of Business and Professional Women and a member of the National Council of Women’s Society. She was the past President of International Women’s Society as well as the Society’s Head of Trustees, among others. She is the mother of Mr Fola Arthur-Worrey, former Solicitor-General of Lagos State, former Commissioner for Lands and former Executive Secretary Lagos State Security Trust Fund.
•Arthur Worrey family
Life has been good to Aunty Funke, as she’s popularly called. She is one woman who has committed a greater part of her life to impacting on people. She is a mother, grandmother, philanthropist, a giver, lover of the young and also a young at heart. These and many more are the passions she shared with her late lawyer-husband, Queen’s Counsel, Steady Arthur-Worrey.
She will be 97 on Tuesday. Here, she goes down memory lane on governance, women in politics and the love of her life, the late Mr Steady Arthur-Worrey.
• Funke arthur worrey
How does it feel to be 97 years?
I am so happy and I thank God for the grace. I can’t believe that I am 97 even in this country. I thank God for the country and for the beautiful atmosphere and for meeting wonderful people to talk to. For me, I am humbled.
You have witnessed so many generations in Nigeria. How would you compare governance then and now?
We can never compare now. Times have changed. The world has changed. Nigeria has changed. We’ve tried everything in governance. We’ve tried parliamentary system of government, we’ve had the presidential system and we thought it would get better. But now, it’s only God that will continue to make Nigeria better with insecurity everywhere and high cost of things. I was telling someone that I cringe at listening to news these days. In those days, they will tell you historical things and tell you good things about Nigeria in the media. But now, the news is all about rape, insecurity and other bad things. I don’t say it didn’t happen those days, but the way the media focus more on these things today is very upsetting.
I think our media should report more of positive things, especially on our youth. We have so many brilliant youths around doing so much. Go to the banks, go to the hospitals, there are many youths taking up prestigious positions. But we don’t hear about them because the media don’t talk about them.
That’s why I was so happy when they were telling us about this girl that drove all the way from England (Pelumi Nubi). I’m so proud that for the first time after so many years, we are celebrating a woman. That is the girl we should celebrate as a Nigerian woman. You should focus more on people like that. We have so many of them. Nigeria is good and I love Nigeria. And we are so brilliant, we are so clever. There is nowhere in the world you won’t see a Nigerian. If you go to China, you see our people dominating one area, all trading. But then we should focus more on that. The media should tell the world who we are instead of focusing on kidnappings and so on.
Going back to the 60s, the likes of Awolowo, Akintola, Ojukwu and Gowon all ruled in their 30s and 40s. Is there any future for our youths to take over governance?
Well, I will say yes and no. Because our youth are doing so much but I don’t think they have that patience to get through with their political plans. This is happening now. Peter Obi worked with the youths and that’s why Labour Party had a good showing during the last elections. The youths took over the atmosphere. But then, look at what is happening now. They are all fighting one another.
I think we need to advise and counsel our children on patience. We know the future belongs to our youth whether you like it or not. But they need to make up their minds that they want to take up the reign; to make Nigeria better. Nigeria is a great country.
Look at our women and their contributions to the economy of the country. Our women are hardworking. As early as seven o’clock in the morning for you, our women are already on the streets, selling food, etc. You go to Alaba in the morning, our women are there. Look at all the crabs or the fish sellers. They wake up very early to source for these things. Nigerian women are great.
Are you soliciting for woman president?
Yes. By now we should have at least a woman vice president and women governors in about 20 states.
But do you think the political space in the country is fair to women?
No, the space is not fair. But Nigerian women need to make up our minds in that it’s about time we increased our participation in governance. We don’t want them to keep on pushing us back. In business, women are doing great things, why not in governance?
Women must come together, maybe we have to start campaigning or lecturing our women that it’s about time. Women should support women. But then, if a side is supporting women, what about the other side that does not want women to get anything? There are some parts in the country that do not even recognise women at all, other than having their children and minding their homes. But then, we are saying women too should wake up and tell the men: ‘We are here; we are ready to serve the nation.’ Men are not better than us. Even we are more in population compared to the men and we are more focused. We are more intelligent. We are the ones that can make things better for the country. Give us a year as President in Nigeria and things will definitely get better.
How was it like growing up with your late husband, Queen’s Counsel Steady Arthur-Worrey?
Oh, Steady was a romantic man. He trained first as a teacher and later as a lawyer in Great Britain. Before he came back home, his people were always talking about him (we were family friends). They would go: ‘if Steady were to be around, he would have done this, that etc…’ So I used to wonder who this Superman Steady was. Then news filtered that he was coming home after his studies. I think ours was love at first sight because the day he arrived, we all gathered to welcome him. He shook hands with everyone. But when it got to my turn, he held on to my hand, looked me straight in the eyes and announced to the whole gathering: “I’m so pleased to meet Funke and she’s going to be my wife”. To say I was embarrassed was an understatement. I felt the ground should just open up and swallow me. He loved football, cricket and sports generally. I had to develop love for football because of him. But cricket… up till now, I don’t understand that game.
We were married for 50 years. It’s not easy coping without him. We were like twins. We used to think alike. He was a good man and he loved Lionism. He loved children and was always bringing ‘stray’ children home to live with us. The first time I travelled after his death was the first time in my life that I realised that one needs to fill forms when you are travelling. The things men carry are much. You don’t know their value until you lose them. They go through a lot, but they don’t show it because they want their wives to be happy.”
Many of our youths are running away from the country. How do you feel about this?
It is not only happening in Nigeria. It’s happening all over the world. Recall that when Trump was the president of America, he said he was going to block Mexicans from entering America by building walls, but that didn’t stop the Mexicans from entering America. You see people migrating with small boats from Africa to Europe taking great risks on the high seas. The British Prime Minister promised to stop people coming from India, from part of Africa, etc. They are going to England because they want a better life. The same thing with our people here. They want a better life. I was speaking to one recently, because she couldn’t go, She came back. I said why did you have to leave your job? And she said Mummy, I’m fed up, there is no light, there is insecurity everywhere, transportation is hard; everything is a struggle.
I don’t support travelling illegally. If you can afford it, if you want to travel abroad, get your visa and go through the right process. Nobody will stop you because we also did that.
But then, for you to take that risk of going to Libya, Morocco and crossing from there to Italy and other European countries is dangerous. So many of them are dying. I don’t like it. But then, how do we stop it. We mothers need to talk to our children. Frustration is driving all of them. It’s not their fault. Government should do more for the youths. We need more jobs for youth. We need to make them feel at home. Also, the government needs to ensure securities of lives and property.
In those days, we enjoyed communal parenting. But these days, it’s different. Can we say it’s as a result of westernization?
Yes, things have changed. In those days, a child had about five mothers or more in the community. If you misbehaved, any one of them would correct you. You were too afraid to even report an aunty that spanked you for misbehaving because you knew that if you reported to your parents, they would spank you more. But nowadays, children are taking their teachers to court. You dare not touch a child when even children can sue their parents. It’s as a result of westernization, but there’s nothing we can do about it.
Are you against westernisation?
No, not really. But the mistake we made was the Ministry of Education cancelling History as a subject in school some years back. As human beings, if you don’t have history you are not living. One Minister of Education cancelled the study of History, but I don’t know whether they’ve brought it back. We cannot do without history.
Also, Nigeria lacks data. Data is important in preserving history. Some children do not even know Nigeria’s Independence Day. They Google it when you ask them. Technology is good, but it shouldn’t take the place of preserving the culture.
A girl of about 13 years came to visit me for the first time sometime ago and she was just busy with her phone. I was the one doing the talking. Knowing history, knowing the original source of your heritage is important.
You’re 97 still looking 60ish. What is the secret?
I thank God, my maker because He has been so good to me. You see when I was 80, I thanked God that I got there. I told God: I’ve lived well, you can take me anytime now, but God thought otherwise.
Then I clocked 90, and now 97. It’s been God all the way. When I watch football matches on TV and I see many heads, I look at myself and appreciate God. I say who am I? So I thank God. It is God Almighty and nothing else. It’s not what I eat. Once you have your God, once you believe in one God, I’m a Christian, I believe in the God of Israel. God has been there for me. I’m not rich, but I’m comfortable. Because I believe that He is there. I have seen so many wonderful things in my life. Beautiful things. I thank God.
I can eat crabs. I can still crack bones. When I go to parties and they see me dancing, eating and enjoying myself, they say Mummy, you still eat beef? I said when you’re 90, I hope you’ll eat beef like I’m enjoying myself right now.
Any regrets?
Well, no regrets, except one, but I’m over it now. I lost my 11-year-old daughter in a beach incident in the 60s. This was a girl that could swim very well. The Israeli Ambassador then was our family friend. We would take their children for the weekend to our beach house in Takwa Bay and they would reciprocate. But on this day, I was in Britain for a course on scholarship when they came for me, packed my things and we headed for Nigeria only to be told that my daughter had passed on in the beach incident.
It’s not easy losing a child. For years, if any girl of her age passed me by, I would want to look at her well, to see whether it was my late daughter. It took time before the reality dawned that she was gone forever. I’m over it now.