[Music]
my name is Benedicta that’s all I was
born into what I would call extreme
incidentally his name was Joseph so my
father and the father of Jesus is
earthly father they had something in
common I was fresh from secondary school
at fifteen years when I was married outs
so a very rich man
who was old enough to be my father
it was 25 years older I this is this is
a subject that a lot of people don’t
talk about and when I looked at the
theme changing our stories I decided to
add mine breaking the silence so at 15 I
became a wife and a mother to two
non-biological children that I met with
this man
he had promised my father everything in
this world and I didn’t have a chance so
I became his wife and one thing led to
the others you know between men man and
wife I became pregnant but I lost the
pregnancy at four months because of
domestic abuse after that I became
pregnant again in no time and became a
mother
at 17 I had my son on my 17th birthday
my son is 31 years plus now and I have
three other daughters that marriage
whatever it was ended when my son was
only four weeks old so I became a single
mother at 17 I had his son to look after
but I was hungry I wanted to go to
school because I passed my West African
examinations living certificates but
there was no money to send me to further
education I was very hungry so with my
son four weeks old I decided to take a
shot at education higher education
fortunately I was admitted into the
Polytechnic og and as soon as I finished
my NCE
at the time I decided to go further to a
mother below University where I obtained
my degree in education my mother helped
me in the process to look after my son
before I eventually got married again
and I have three daughters aged 25 23
and a half the last one will be 18 in
two months so thank you very much so
fast-forward at the point we relocated
from Nigeria to live in Europe I lived
there for over ten years and eight years
ago I decided that I had something to
give to Nigeria and I was in politics in
Ireland when I was living there and I
don’t know if you can see the slides up
there that is this lady as the immediate
past president of the Republic of
Ireland
there’s another photograph there with a
Caucasian man yes that’s the immediate
past prime minister of Ireland there are
photographs there with the deputy
governor fado state and there are so
many I just picked a few why am i
sharing these photographs I decided to
share these photographs because these
are people I have met on my political
journey I decided to share these
photographs because from in nobody I am
sharing platforms with world leaders
from being a nobody from being a
carpenter’s daughter most people are not
proud to say who their parents are or
where but I can tell you that what the
Bible says about never disrespect small
beginnings is it is true in my own case
Here I am I have a master’s degree
hopefully I’ll have a PhD one day from a
nobody my father was not a politician my
mother was not nothing qualifies me to
stand on this platform to address you
nothing not by name not by bears not by
marriage not by anything there are three
things of four that I think are very
very important in our journeys or in our
journey of life in my own case I decided
to come into politics because I believe
that politics is one platform that you
can use to serve so many people at the
same time it’s a platform I’ve looked at
Nigeria I’ve looked at Africa I’ve
looked at the world and the story is the
same especially in the marginalization
of women in the marginalization of the
girl child I had
others who were not forced into an early
marriage because they were boys but
because I was a girl I was a soft
targets to bring money to the family I
do not hold any grudge I did that at a
time at that time but I was a favorite
child in the family and my father didn’t
want me to suffer so if he felt that
marrying me out so a wealthy man would
give me a good life thankfully I made up
with him before he passed on so and
sharing this story because I want you to
relate to what I’m saying I’m here with
you in flesh and blood
poverty is never an excuse to go the
wrong way at a time prostitution was
very very attractive to me it seemed to
be the only way but I was determined I
was focused I wanted an education and I
can tell you that the quickest way to
breaking the cycle of poverty is to be
educated when I was living in Ireland
the prime minister of Ireland at that
time was asked how Ireland is small
country that does not produce any major
thing how they became so successful the
prime minister of Ireland gave three
answers he said Ireland became a very
successful country because of these
three things
education education and education so for
me education is the quickest way to
break in the cycle of poverty you have
to be determined you have to work at
what you have everyone has a talent the
political journey has not been smooth
for me it’s been rough I’ve been tamed
you know
minority minority people cannot rule and
things like that
but that it does not follow once you
keep at it what you cannot afford to do
is to give up you just cannot give up we
need young people like you we need you
to take this step Nigeria today is
yearning for good leadership and we have
them in this room the young people who
put this international platform together
they are leaders most of you in the room
here are leaders you just need to
identify what it is you have a passion
to do and follow it like I said in my
own case I believe politics is one
platform that we can use to bring back
the glory of this country to bring back
the glory of Africa Africa is where it
is happening
are you not wondering why somebody will
leave Europe and come and live in
Nigeria not just in Nigeria but in my
village in my local government where I
am now serving as the vice chairman of
the local government it’s a very rural
community in a circle east
it’s an agrarian society farmers
fishermen and all that there is no
cinema there so when I’m even bored and
I want something you know – ginger me a
little bit I can’t there’s no place to
go apart from going to maybe the beer
parlor and things like that yeah but
that is where I am serving it gives me
joy that I’m bringing a different kind
of service to Nigerians to my local
community there’s nothing that beats
that I am happy that one life at a time
I am impacting so if I want you to take
any
from this my presentation is to look
inwards identify what it is you want to
do we need a new generation of leaders
in our country we don’t have any other
one all those countries in Europe and
America and all those places where
builds by those people Nigeria will be
built by Nigerians I believe in the
Nigerian dream I am NOT just saying it
because I’m I want to say it I’m saying
it because I want you to see to learn
from my personal story from my journey I
want to leave you with this quote I put
together for most young girls the
experience of a first marriage is one of
domestic violence pain frustration anger
resentment and even death
for some the wounds never heal for
others the scars never fade but for all
survivors the memories never die I put
that together I choose to be a survival I am NOT a victim thank you very much
my name is Benedicta that’s all I was
born into what I would call extreme
incidentally his name was Joseph so my
father and the father of Jesus is
earthly father they had something in
common I was fresh from secondary school
at fifteen years when I was married outs
so a very rich man
who was old enough to be my father
it was 25 years older I this is this is
a subject that a lot of people don’t
talk about and when I looked at the
theme changing our stories I decided to
add mine breaking the silence so at 15 I
became a wife and a mother to two
non-biological children that I met with
this man
he had promised my father everything in
this world and I didn’t have a chance so
I became his wife and one thing led to
the others you know between men man and
wife I became pregnant but I lost the
pregnancy at four months because of
domestic abuse after that I became
pregnant again in no time and became a
mother
at 17 I had my son on my 17th birthday
my son is 31 years plus now and I have
three other daughters that marriage
whatever it was ended when my son was
only four weeks old so I became a single
mother at 17 I had his son to look after
but I was hungry I wanted to go to
school because I passed my West African
examinations living certificates but
there was no money to send me to further
education I was very hungry so with my
son four weeks old I decided to take a
shot at education higher education
fortunately I was admitted into the
Polytechnic og and as soon as I finished
my NCE
at the time I decided to go further to a
mother below University where I obtained
my degree in education my mother helped
me in the process to look after my son
before I eventually got married again
and I have three daughters aged 25 23
and a half the last one will be 18 in
two months so thank you very much so
fast-forward at the point we relocated
from Nigeria to live in Europe I lived
there for over ten years and eight years
ago I decided that I had something to
give to Nigeria and I was in politics in
Ireland when I was living there and I
don’t know if you can see the slides up
there that is this lady as the immediate
past president of the Republic of
Ireland
there’s another photograph there with a
Caucasian man yes that’s the immediate
past prime minister of Ireland there are
photographs there with the deputy
governor fado state and there are so
many I just picked a few why am i
sharing these photographs I decided to
share these photographs because these
are people I have met on my political
journey I decided to share these
photographs because from in nobody I am
sharing platforms with world leaders
from being a nobody from being a
carpenter’s daughter most people are not
proud to say who their parents are or
where but I can tell you that what the
Bible says about never disrespect small
beginnings is it is true in my own case
Here I am I have a master’s degree
hopefully I’ll have a PhD one day from a
nobody my father was not a politician my
mother was not nothing qualifies me to
stand on this platform to address you
nothing not by name not by bears not by
marriage not by anything there are three
things of four that I think are very
very important in our journeys or in our
journey of life in my own case I decided
to come into politics because I believe
that politics is one platform that you
can use to serve so many people at the
same time it’s a platform I’ve looked at
Nigeria I’ve looked at Africa I’ve
looked at the world and the story is the
same especially in the marginalization
of women in the marginalization of the
girl child I had
others who were not forced into an early
marriage because they were boys but
because I was a girl I was a soft
targets to bring money to the family I
do not hold any grudge I did that at a
time at that time but I was a favorite
child in the family and my father didn’t
want me to suffer so if he felt that
marrying me out so a wealthy man would
give me a good life thankfully I made up
with him before he passed on so and
sharing this story because I want you to
relate to what I’m saying I’m here with
you in flesh and blood
poverty is never an excuse to go the
wrong way at a time prostitution was
very very attractive to me it seemed to
be the only way but I was determined I
was focused I wanted an education and I
can tell you that the quickest way to
breaking the cycle of poverty is to be
educated when I was living in Ireland
the prime minister of Ireland at that
time was asked how Ireland is small
country that does not produce any major
thing how they became so successful the
prime minister of Ireland gave three
answers he said Ireland became a very
successful country because of these
three things
education education and education so for
me education is the quickest way to
break in the cycle of poverty you have
to be determined you have to work at
what you have everyone has a talent the
political journey has not been smooth
for me it’s been rough I’ve been tamed
you know
minority minority people cannot rule and
things like that
but that it does not follow once you
keep at it what you cannot afford to do
is to give up you just cannot give up we
need young people like you we need you
to take this step Nigeria today is
yearning for good leadership and we have
them in this room the young people who
put this international platform together
they are leaders most of you in the room
here are leaders you just need to
identify what it is you have a passion
to do and follow it like I said in my
own case I believe politics is one
platform that we can use to bring back
the glory of this country to bring back
the glory of Africa Africa is where it
is happening
are you not wondering why somebody will
leave Europe and come and live in
Nigeria not just in Nigeria but in my
village in my local government where I
am now serving as the vice chairman of
the local government it’s a very rural
community in a circle east
it’s an agrarian society farmers
fishermen and all that there is no
cinema there so when I’m even bored and
I want something you know – ginger me a
little bit I can’t there’s no place to
go apart from going to maybe the beer
parlor and things like that yeah but
that is where I am serving it gives me
joy that I’m bringing a different kind
of service to Nigerians to my local
community there’s nothing that beats
that I am happy that one life at a time
I am impacting so if I want you to take
any
from this my presentation is to look
inwards identify what it is you want to
do we need a new generation of leaders
in our country we don’t have any other
one all those countries in Europe and
America and all those places where
builds by those people Nigeria will be
built by Nigerians I believe in the
Nigerian dream I am NOT just saying it
because I’m I want to say it I’m saying
it because I want you to see to learn
from my personal story from my journey I
want to leave you with this quote I put
together for most young girls the
experience of a first marriage is one of
domestic violence pain frustration anger
resentment and even death
for some the wounds never heal for
others the scars never fade but for all
survivors the memories never die I put
that together I choose to be a survival I am NOT a victim thank you very much
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