By Christy Anyanwu
Comrade Oyinkan Olasanoye, first female National President, Association of Senior Staffs of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI) and Deputy President, Trade Union Congress (TUC), is one of the few female labour leaders who have written their names in gold, not only in Nigeria but also in the world. As a leader of the body at the global level, she is one of those who helps to drive the union’s ideals and campaigns in Africa. She spoke with Saturday Sun recently in Lagos about her life as a unionist, her growing-up years and her lifestyle, among other issues.
Tell us about your experience so far in this journey?
My gender has been a great assistance to me as a union leader. I joined the union when a policy was introduced that women should be included. I did not plan to be a union leader. But I’m someone that speaks her mind. I’m bold, fearless. I’m never too big to say I’m sorry whenever I’m wrong. I started as a women coordinator before rising up to the positions of trustee and female president. At the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, I was the women leader for the whole nation for six years.
How did you now transform into National President of ASSBIFI and Deputy President, TUC?
I think I am the first woman to serve as the deputy president of TUC, and President, ASSBIFI. It is because they believe so much that what a man can do if you give a woman the opportunity, they can do even better. I came on board as a trustee between 2007 and 2010. I was the only female executive. In 2010, I was elected the deputy president. And, to the glory of God, from deputy president, I became the President. At Trade Union Congress, I started when Comrade Peace Obiajulu was the leader. She insisted there should be a women’s commission. She started as our women leader before becoming the President of the Trade Union Congress. We worked together. In 2013, I became the women leader of the Trade Union Congress. During the last election, I was elected deputy president.
There has always been this perception about women, that if you are a unionist, you will not be a good family person; what’s your take on that?
I’m a mother, and a career person. I’m a chartered insurer, reconciler and arbitrator. I have two masters’ degrees. It is about seeing unionism as a career because I came into it at a time there was subtle discrimination. It was at a time that meetings were being held in the night in different zones. It depends on how you were able to manage your time. My husband has been giving me all the support. My children are wonderful, maybe because when I started, two of them were in secondary school and in a boarding house. But because I saw it as a career and my husband also so much believed that being a career person, I should get to the peak, he encouraged me to that effect. I make myself available. I try as much as possible to create relevance and respect for myself. Men have been my greatest supporters.
While growing up, what influenced your decision to become a unionist?
The upbringing I had is that what a man can do, a woman can also do; there has never been any discrimination in my family. We all went to the kitchen; we all went to the field or farm, we all did everything. There was no segregation that this is a role for the man and for the woman. In the university, I went to the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti before going for my master’s. I’m a silent, subtle person. I was not into student unionism. But I have always been a kingmaker. I love determining who would be my leader. I’m silently a shy person. I have always liked to operate in the background until people felt that all the people I had been bringing on board had been able to serve well, “you too should be able to serve well.”
What were some of the memorable moments in your life?
I was a member of the National Delegates Conference in 2014. It was a thing of pride that out of about 100 million Nigerians, 495 had to represent the whole country and I was one of them. Also, becoming the first female deputy president of TUC in Nigeria, serving in the TUC and even in the world body, meaning when there are issues in any African country, I can go and represent them. When there was an issue in one of the banks, I had to go to New York as one of the delegates. Being able to mix with other people, seeing how things are done in other countries, and working with different cultures, working with people from different backgrounds, with different world leaders and different professionals have been a great encouragement to me. People might not see it as a milestone but they are to me. Also, being able to attend Winnie Mandela’s burial in South Africa, representing workers. A lot of things that may not matter to people but to me I see it as grace, as achievements.
Has there been any moment in your career that you felt like throwing in the towel?
Yes! There are times your members’ expectations are high, and you know in our sectors, most of our employers are into profit-making. In some of these banks, there are some policies that some of my members accepted before they realised their mistakes. For instance, the level of unemployment in the country makes it easier for our employers to make some of our people to be contract staff, working with remunerations that cannot take them home because they are desperate to get a job; it’s very challenging.
What have been some of your achievements as President of ASSBIFI?
In unionism, it is only when our members have issues that we make noise. When they don’t have, you won’t know that there is anything going on. I may not be able to stop redundancy in some of the banks. But there had never been anybody that had reason to go that didn’t follow due process. We have become more visible because we encourage some of our members to know their rights. There are some things with management that we won’t just accept. We have been able to prove through reconciliation, through legal means that there are some policies that are in existence that shouldn’t be. You don’t have to wake up one day and just tell me that I need to go. You should be able to tell me the reason and you should be able to give me the opportunity to start another life, not just ‘this is the end of a job’ and I go home. We had been able to build up men. A lot of people tend not to believe there’s unionism in the financial sector because we believe in leveraging in relationships. We believe in advocacy. We pride ourselves that we can meet with our employers. But when we need to sting like a bee, we are also available. Because of this, we have been able to achieve so many things. There has been peace in the sector. The sector is a very sensitive one. For instance, if there’s a strike all the time, then Nigerians will not believe in the financial institutions anymore. We have been able to maintain that peaceful atmosphere. We have been able to maintain respect in our workers. There’s the dignity of labour. In the sector, we have been able to maintain that due process before anything is done. So, we are no longer seen as bloody unionists. We are now seen as stakeholders that bring some things to the table for the progress of the institution.
Who do you consider to be the greatest influence in your life?
Comrade Peter Esele. He’s a child of circumstances. He never prepared to become the president of the congress. But he did and led in a way that everybody has to learn about the congress. So he’s my motivator. He’s somebody I look up to. All my past presidents in ASSBIFI, the way they handled the association using different methods and approaches, I see as my motivators.
How do you unwind?
I love reading. Because of my job, I travel a lot. I try to see different cultures. I also enjoy my spiritual side of life.
What are your favourite destinations?
Malaysia. I’m also at home in Dubai, and US, but only in Maryland. In any other part of the US, I’m not at home. I don’t know why. But whenever I’m in Maryland I feel like I’m in Nigeria. Dubai and Malaysia motivate me because I know their beginnings. So, each time I’m down I would say if these countries can rise I can also become whatever I want to become in life.
What can our leaders do to make this country great?
I think we should concentrate on the implementation and enforcement of policies. We have so many intellectuals in this country. We have good manpower. We have people that can turn around this country. If we can concentrate on our security, that will make everybody to feel at home. I remember when I was growing up there was no issue with security. Three days ago, we had a meeting in Ibadan, and we all decided to go by train to share the experience. To my surprise, I found that some people had never been on the train. I remember when I was in secondary school I used to have a sister in Kaduna. From Ibadan, I would prefer to go by train rather than by air because by air it is less than one hour. The joy I had then was travelling from Ibadan to Kaduna, buying ‘Marwa’ on the way, mixing up with fellow Nigerians. Even when they were issues with the train, we were always happy to be in the bush, sometimes with 24 hours journey turned into 36 hours. Now, going to the nearest village, you feel scared! We need a government that can take charge and takes control of the security, we need a situation that the policies they are rolling out would be policies that are enforceable. Nigerians are people that little things satisfy. We don’t need something fantastic. If we can have security, constant electricity power system, good roads, hospitals, I think Nigerians will survive anywhere.