I recognise and cherish diversity
I have learnt to recognise and cherish diversity throughout my life, and from an early age growing up in a polygamous family and attending one of a few Unity Secondary Schools established by the Nigerian Government to help foster unity in a country with hundreds of languages and dialects: I have lived within a world that is beautifully diverse. As people moved around Nigeria in the interests of unity, kids were brought together in Unity Schools from different backgrounds, languages and religions. It set my values and my expectations for how you live and appreciate others in this world.
Sometimes diversity comes with prejudice and this prejudice comes in many forms. In Nigeria, it came in the shape of nepotism; in the UK, it looks like mistrust. I see this changing though, particularly through the experiences of my children.
For me, the presence of prejudice presents the potential for growth. We were taught to rise above it, try our best, and to endeavour to make our own opportunities. I have been blessed by a number of mentors that have seen my potential and supported me to pursue my interests and my career.
I first met Patrick Walker in 1991 at Associated Press. I had just arrived in the UK after graduating from university in Nigeria, a bachelor with no money and ambitions to continue my studies in accountancy. It was in the middle of the recession and I needed a job to pay for my studies. So, I took a job as a messenger, handing post out to colleagues. I met Patrick on my first day. We got chatting and I told him about my plans to go to university. A few days later when I came to give him his post, he called me into his office and told me that he would pay for my university fees as well as a monthly allowance so I could study. I was completely overwhelmed. He made this incredible gesture without obligation; I was just in the right place at the right time as he had just received some inheritance intended to “fund someone’s education”.
Patrick was the first person to believe in me at work, but he was not the last.
Of course, it has not always been positive, but even when I was faced with direct racism at work, I chose to rise above it. That negative experience was hell, but I believe it has made me a better person. I ignored the toxicity I was faced with and worked extra hard to learn new skills and broaden my experience. My managers saw what was happening and looked out for me: when opportunity presented, I took the skills I had learnt and applied it to a new role at Queen Mary University of London.
I am still very close to my friends from school. We come from different backgrounds and our lives have taken different paths. But we have a shared experience, and I cherish these old friendships, as well as new ones in my neighbourhood, church and at work. We are better together.