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Sabina D’Great Alfred is a faith based speaker, producer, director, well-rounded media professional, licensed behavioural therapist, radio anchor, actor, event host, and autism advocate. For several years, she was the voice behind the multiple award-winning gospel radio show, “Sunday Best with Sabina” on Naija FM 102.7, Lagos, Nigeria, where she transformed the outlook of gospel music on mainstream media.
She produced/directed a stage play about autism. Another of her recent works as producer is the eye-opening documentary, “Perception, the Nigerian Narrative.” She is the founder of Deborah-David Care Aide Network, a nonprofit dedicated to autism advocacy and networking help and support for people with developmental disabilities and their families.
As the Vice Chairman of The Alfred-Winifred Women Foundation, Sabina D’Great has been able to lead multiple charity missions, helping and providing people with disabilities with wheelchairs and other walking aids, and empowering widows, and providing sanitary care for the girl child in rural Nigerian/African communities.
In this interview, she talks about life as a breast cancer survivor, advocacy and other things.
What led you into autism advocacy and how has the experience been for you?
Faith and charity form the basis of everything I do and represent in life. Assisting individuals with autism has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my life. Working closely with individuals and families in implementing their BIPs (behavioral intervention plans) is not an easy task but the outcomes are priceless! I have always had a heart for people with disabilities. In my radio days, I championed a mission that encouraged my station to sponsor the first charity event in a facility that houses individuals with Down syndrome in Lagos. Upon relocating to the United States, I trained to help people with autism. Among other things, I became a certified Behavioral Therapist in order to understand the spectrum better so I can use my media experience to create awareness and advocate for individuals on the spectrum and their families in Nigeria and other parts of Africa where autism is stigmatised. I created and directed a stage play titled “Silenced” for this purpose. We’ve had two showings in Texas, USA, and plan to take it to multiple countries, especially Nigeria. I would appreciate it if interested individuals and organizations can partner with me on this project.
How has the journey been so far?
Rough but rewarding. We have set up a non-profit organisation called Deborah-David Care Aide Network, in order to give proper structure to our work. It’s been slow, but we are determined because we already know it’s going to require a lot of resilience.
What are some of the most important ways public spaces can be made more accessible to people on the spectrum?
First off, autistic individuals are people too! The difference is that their brains are wired differently from the neuro-typical person. So my main advice is for the general public to put away the judgement, mockery and hostility towards people with autism and their families. The general reaction to coming in contact with an individual on the spectrum should not be condescending; it is a very broad spectrum and no two autistic persons are exactly the same. The levels vary from one individual to the other. So, if we are talking about making public spaces accessible to individuals with autism, it would vary. Meaning one autistic person may require the presence of a caregiver in order to be in a public space, another may not. The stigma needs to stop. Their families are going through so much to care for their autistic ward. Therefore, adding societal hostility is a nightmare.
What advice do you have for parents affected by autism?
I applaud every parent of children with special needs! I have assisted individuals with autism in various capacities and I can tell you first hand that these parents are real life super heroes. Please take care of yourself, seek professional help/assistance when you suffer a burnout, find communities, there are a lot of them online. Also research simpler ways you can care for your special needs children to make things a little easier for you. And don’t let society make you feel less! Behavioral science has progressed massively so do not be ashamed you have an autistic child!
You are a breast cancer survivor, can you talk about your struggles and how you beat the disease?
This question! I have spent the past quarter pondering on how to articulate answering a question like this but even now I still feel unready! My diagnosis came as a shock, however I took it to God on my “Praise altar”. I praised and worshiped God for about 10 minutes after the doctor called to tell me about the result of the biopsy. I told God I had heard and quoted Isaiah 53:5. All my life, now is the time to see it happen in the flesh; and then God asked me to state what I wanted. I told him I wanted proof of His mighty acts and He said ‘done. So the journey to beating cancer and obtaining my testimony began to manifest on March 25, 2025! Mind you, the lump was in my breast from mid/late 2023 after my 50th birthday, but I only discovered it in 2024 and still did not begin investigating it until February of 2025! However, I prayed in the hallway .By hallway I mean before I officially started the medical journey I prayed hard, and got closer to the teachings of Apostle Joshua Selman. Time and space will not allow me to dig in with step by step details. My journey was powered by a collaboration of faith and medicine. It was very hard. Incidentally, the first doctor I met to enlighten me on what was at stake was a Christian, an Asian breast specialist. She asked if she could pray with me, I was so delighted. She knelt down and her opening line was “Father I thank you because only you could have kept this cancer at bay”! Do you know why she prayed like that? As a doctor and a Christian, she knew that only God stopped the cancer from spreading to other parts of my body, given that I was also diagnosed with HER2 positive which is responsible for aggressive spread of cancer. Remember between late 2023 and Feb 2025, medically the cancer should have aggressively spread all over my body, but God, like Doctor Liz Lee said: “God kept the cancer at bay”! Every doctor I met on this journey was perplexed about a supposed aggressive cancer that could not be aggressive! Then I passed through the dark season of chemotherapy. God said it wasn’t my time. This was the hardest. Sometimes I imagined death would be easier. Again, but for God! God came to me through men; my daughter put her life on pause to care for me; my siblings and my brethren supported me in every way possible! I did not work for almost two years so you can imagine all that went into my medicals and upkeep, in a country like America where the bills never take breaks. As a media personality I didn’t want the news out earlier than when I would be ready, and also because I was working with a spiritual formation. So we kept the circle of intercessors really small. In conclusion God gave me my testimony, eventually.
Based on your experience and knowledge, what advice would you give to women who have recently been diagnosed with breast cancer?
Cancer diagnosis is not an end to life. Please if you have been recently diagnosed and (or) already navigating cancer, it is not the end of your life. Do not accept the negative suggestions that your life is over, No! it’s not. Get closer to God, be specific in your requests to God, don’t assume your healing, participate with your faith. Pray over your medications, pray over your body to agree with your medications. Dark days will come, extreme weakness and exhaustion will come, days of silence and isolation will come, there’ll be days when the thought of giving up will be very fancy, please keep your mind on the word of God, ask God to be the head of your medical team, before embarking on any phase of your treatment plan dedicate it to God, pick scriptures prayerfully that you will use for a spiritual formation. Kill fear! It will not be easy but try, use the word, use worship. Listen to testimonies and the word of God steadfastly and surround yourself with people who have spiritual understanding and who believe in what you have asked of God. The road will not be rosy but cooperate with God. He heals us through various routes, but He heals!.
Having been a radio head yourself, do you think there is gender bias in the broadcast media?
I do not think that there is gender bias in broadcast media. The broadcast media is a field where talent is easily recognized and celebrated. However, office politics is a global phenomenon, it only varies from place to place.
What do you think is unique about women in leadership roles compared to men?
It is the consistency in nurturing something from its infant state to its mature state. Women don’t give up on people and projects easily. Women have an in-built resilience that opens them up to a realm of possibilities that can enable unimaginable growth and success! Also, women are community driven: so they easily make leadership a shared responsibility instead of a seat of control and dictatorship. Women also unconsciously or you can say naturally take responsibility for gaps everywhere they go. It could be a direct effect of motherly instinct. They take initiative promptly without needing cajoling, approval or applause! These and more qualities make women exceptional leaders!
How do you manage your different roles as a radio head, singer, philanthropist, pastor and other ones effectively without hitches?
As a woman who wears multiple hats, my anchor is my faith in God. My drive in life is service to God and service to humanity. Everything I do is driven by people with the aim to glorify God. How am I serving or impacting others? What needs am I meeting? Who is learning to do better because of me? Whether I talk, sing, preach, coach, act, produce, do charity or create joyful connections, the vision is to glorify God, while the mission is to build legacy. This is how I show up in any of these hats and that’s what keeps me going passionately.
During your time on radio, what valuable lessons did you learn and how did it impact your life?
My days on radio showed me that joy can be passed on to thousands and millions of people you would never meet in person! So also you can pass anything negative across the airwaves and some will accept and run with it without question! This realization taught me integrity. I couldn’t say just anything on air because I had the power, it had to be vetted not only by company policy, but also by my conscience. I saw the strength of media influence and that is something I still make use of until date. Whenever I put something out there on social media, I am responsible for the outcomes.
What advice do you have for young ones going through one challenge or the other?
If you’re going through any challenges and you stumble on this piece, I would like you to know that you are doing well and you are going to come out stronger and more confident than you were. Challenges or hard days are part of life, meaning, they are bound to happen. It is your reaction that counts. Keep your eyes and your mind on your desired destination. Do not cower. Do not succumb to the voice of intimidation; keep your eyes on the prize steadily. Be prepared, be honourable; do not sell your birthright for a bowl of porridge. Be prayerful and use every curve as a learning tool. Resist evil, even though it comes easy, peace and integrity are better at the end. Learn from people but don’t pray to be like them because you don’t know about their secret battles. There is greatness inside of you, it will come out if you don’t give up.
