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‘I don’t stand for any form of abuse against women’

By Ijeoma Thomas-Odia
16 July 2016   |   3:03 am
Determined to influence young people especially women and girls, Dr. Ama, a United Kingdom- based Nigerian, decided to come back home to Nigeria to settle down so as to achieve her burning desire.
Dr. Ama Onyerinma

Dr. Ama Onyerinma

Dr. Ama Onyerinma, popularly known as Dr. Ama, is a life coach, educationist, advocate, strategist and author of Successes Don’t Fail, which highlights the essence of being and the pursuit of personal mission as an integral part of living an exuberant and fulfilling life. She is also the creator of the Live Abundantly brand, which encourages people to live better lives – mentally, emotionally, physically.

Determined to influence young people especially women and girls, Dr. Ama, a United Kingdom- based Nigerian, decided to come back home to Nigeria to settle down so as to achieve her burning desire. The decision to come back home at a time when the country is facing a lot of challenges economically and security wise raised a lot of concern. “The reality is, wherever you go in the world there are issues, so you have to put it in perspective; in Los Angeles and great New York, there are issues, but the point is, there is work to be done in Nigeria and it is time for Nigerians to do the work themselves, instead of contacting foreigners to constantly do the work, truth is, they are not interested in the well-being of the country. I am a Nigerian, I may not have lived here in the last 40 years but then I have worked to do in Nigeria as a Nigerian.”

According to her: “I have always been passionate about women, as a child, I spent a few years in Nigeria and I could see the disparity between women and men. I was very fortunate to have a father who believes that everyone has a potential to be whoever he or she wants to be. So we were encouraged to be ourselves and received the best of education. I grew up in a time when girls were not as educated to the level that I was; but my father thought it was an investment to our future and it has paid off.

“I have been incredibly passionate about women especially the abused, I don’t stand for any form of abuse or disregard for women, we are equals and I know that there are some men who may not believe that but we are created equally in this world, each of us has a role and our roles go beyond bearing the children. We are the ones that nurture the earth. We are the ones who pass on history, morals to our children so that they can go forward and so we deserve a place on the table. Domestic violence is a no-no for me, it shouldn’t come in. Women should have a voice, I think we have always had a voice until the colonial masters took it away and so our men took it up from there – the Aba women riot in 1929, were led by rural women and they had a voice!”

On how Dr. Ama intends to reach out to the vulnerable and young people in the society she said: “First, I have written a book for everyone to read. Secondly, I like to speak at functions that empower women and children; I do more than motivation, I am very realistic to what is going on, the truth is, we need to find achievable and reasonable solutions and take the actions. I am a philanthropist and so I like to support causes of women and children, specifically children with special needs, they are very dear to my heart because they are the ones who have been abandoned.”

Even though she had been away from Nigeria in the last 40 years, Dr. Ama stressed, “I do know what’s going on, I read, and I come to Nigeria frequently, so I am not losing touch.”

As coaches, we are not supposed to give people solutions but help you uncover within you the solution, so that it now holds more value. Coaching is focused on where you are today and where you want to be, it is about achieving your dreams and being fulfilled

On her passion for coaching, she noted that her path does not involve going on a pulpit preaching to people, but her work and actions define what she stands for and what her goals are as a person.

“There are different types of coaches, my type of coaching is the personal kind, I like to work with youths, women and business leaders, so there is room for all type of coaches.

“The biggest challenge about coaching is to get people to understand what we do, because coaching is beyond talking to people and giving them solutions. As a matter of fact, as coaches, we are not supposed to give people solutions but help you uncover within you the solution, so that it now holds more value. Coaching is focused on where you are today and where you want to be, it is about achieving your dreams and being fulfilled,” she explained.

With a doctorate degree in education, she said, “It is educationally based on the framework of coaching. I do not teach in classrooms but I am more into curriculum and coming up with the right framework for working with children and teachers. I hope to partner with organisations in Nigeria to achieve my mission in Nigeria.”

Born in England, Dr. Ama came to Nigeria and spent a few years.
“I attended Holy Child School in Lagos and went back to England to further my studies; I had my first degree and masters in Anthropology and Sociology at the University of Rochester, New York and Brandeis University respectively. My doctoral is in education from the University of Southern California. My father encouraged my love for education and supported that tremendously. My mother taught me to be a strong woman and to stand up for myself and for others who cannot stand up for themselves,” she informed.

Dr. Ama whose signature style is putting on Gele (head tie), even on corporate attires, says it connects her back to her roots. Her beauty regimen? “I drink a lot of water, I try to sleep and rest as much as I can, I live mindfully and I try not to get upset because it causes wrinkles.”

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