Senator
Daisy Danjuma, the pretty wife of Lt.-Gen. T.Y. Danjuma will soon be 70. She
seldom grants interviews. But she spoke with City People a while back, and it
was a hugely revealing interview. This Edo-born accomplished lady of style and
elegance has been in the public for over 3 decades.
In
the interview below, she reveals what you don’t know about her.
You’re
one of Nigeria’s most stylish women. What exactly informs your style and how
you get it right all the time?
I
don’t think there’s anything extra-ordinary in my style because 1 wear what’s
comfortable, what suits me. My age, my career, my personality and my status.
There are many styles that young girls wear, but I will not do it because I
don’t consider myself an old fool, Agbaya, in the first instance and there’s
nothing to prove or show off, I dress according to the dictates of the
ceremony. If I’m going to the office, I know
what to wear, If I’m going for evening events, I adorn ball gowns, it depends
really on where I’m going to, I don’t have any complex about designers or
anything or having to say this is this or this is that. I wear what suits me
colour-wise, I have colours that I like, I like dark colours, I like black, I
like navy blue, it depends actually. Gold, Silver for the evening. I will not wear
something because A or B has worn that, I think I have enough confidence in myself
to wear what I think suits me, what I’m comfortable in, and what suits my status.
In
essence, you’ve not been wearing designer clothes?
That’s
why I said I don’t suffer from an inferiority complex. I don’t want to be like
anybody, I want to be myself because I am me and everybody is not me.
I’m
Daisy Danjuma, Nobody is me, I’m me, so I dress to suit myself.
Who
is Daisy Danjuma? How would you describe her? Are you an introvert?
It
depends, I flow with currents, I flow
with time, I flow with the trend, I cannot qualify myself, I’m a human being,
there is a time for everything. There are times you are happy, at times you
weep, at times, you laugh, and at times, you cry. I’m just a human being, I’m like
any other human being, if you annoy me, |I get angry, If I’m excited, I‘m
happy, if anything good happens to me, I celebrate, so I’m just like any other
person, there’s nothing extraordinary.
Let's
talk about your NTA years.
I
enjoyed working for the NTA, and I was at NTA for 10 years, 1982-1992, I was
the Company Secretary/Legal Adviser:
When I was at NTA, it was a big family.
We were all happy. May I say I enjoyed working in the NTA then? It was a
very fulfilling career that I enjoyed.
From
where did you get into the NTA?
After
I finished my programme at Law school, I
worked in the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, which was my youth corps service and we were the
pioneer set of the Legal Aid Council lawyers.
From
there, I worked with Nigeria Acceptances
Limited (NAL), I was Executive Assistant to the Chairman/MD, Chief Gamaliel
Onosode. I also worked with Capital Events, I was with Wole Adeosun and it was
quite an interesting period. I learnt much because it was during the period of
implementation of the indigenisation policy.
Legal opinions were overwhelming. It was a period that was full of
opportunities and I learnt much about the private sector.
Would
you say that your NTA years prepared you for what you’re doing now?
Usually,
from everywhere you work, you gain experience. I’ve always worked and
gained experience which has always come
in handy. But for politics, not just where you work, the world as a whole is
your teacher, politics is a very wide area, you don’t have a specialised area,
like the writing of Bills now, you need to have a certain background, but generally, every experience you get from working is never wasted.
Your
love for Diamonds, how did it come about?
Every
woman loves something good, even in the Bible, women adorned themselves. So, if
that is what makes us better and look nice, why not? After all, people say
diamonds are a girl’s best friend it’s even a song that every woman wants to look nice.
Would
you say your style is uniquely you?
Nothing
is unique to anybody, nobody has a monopoly of anything and any style anybody
adopts, somebody has displayed it somewhere before in this world, even fabrics
themselves.
So,
nothing is personalised actually.
You
can only add one or two things to give it your personal touch, as people say
oh! I wear many Moroccan clothes, yes,
I
know you’ll come to that because many people associate Moroccan clothes with
me. I find them very comfortable and very convenient, you can casually wear them, formally, it’s something you can wear freely and go about.
I
used to wear many boubous, but you can make it flow, if you want, you can make
it the way you like. Morocco is a place I often go to, so it’s not a surprise
that I wear their clothes, their styles are a bit unique, away from the local
clothes.
I
also know that you love shoes, Am I wrong?
I
do agree. I’ve always said that Nigerians are the best-dressed women in the
world that I’ve seen, I’ve been to many countries, I’ve seen people from all
over the world in gatherings, but Nigerian women are the best dressed I’ve seen
and they’re well-coordinated in their dressing and if I’m a Nigerian. I fall
into that category, I don’t mind at all. We like dressing well despite the frustration
in our country’ We still try to be very
happy, which I think is unique to Nigerians.
So, do you like shoes?
Why
not? I’m a woman. I don’t just like shoes, I love good shoes. I have the height
to wear It, I can carry it, but 1 like high-heeled shoes, that’s the
difference. My friends accuse me of wearing very high-heeled shoes because when
shoes are not high, I can’t walk in them so, many of my friends are surprised
that as tall as I am, I still wear high-heeled shoes because you walk well, you
walk straight in high shoes, it moves you forward, so, you cannot afford to
slush or walk anyhow.
Would
you then say you love the good things of life?
Absolutely.
Why not? That is part of life, If God gives you good health and you can afford
basic things and you can afford that little extra, what are you living for? You
might as well enjoy it.
Some
people do say that General TY. Danjuma spoils you silly and spends heavily on
you...
I
don’t know, but 1 have earning power, so I earn in that wise, I spoil myself
very well, I don’t think my man will spend anyhow on a woman, if you have that
extra-taste as a woman, then why not work and earn it? So, I earn enough to
spoil myself because I believe I’m hardworking and the only thing I can show
for it is to enjoy myself.
So,
it’s not as if your husband spoils you?
I
don’t think any man in Nigeria spoils any woman silly. My husband is very nice
to me, but I can afford the extras myself.
What
is life like as a wife of General T. Y Danjuma?
My
husband is like any other man, if you’re asking me if my husband has been a
terrorist, if you say how is life with a terrorist, then I can say it’s a
different world, but my husband is a loving and nice husband.
He’s
generally seen as a tough General and then one wonders, how does Senator
Danjuma cope with this tough man?
I
don’t know what you call tough, my husband is a very truthful person, he tells
you things as they are, but most Nigerians don’t believe that, they believe you
have to cajole people, deceive them, but he does not believe in that and I
believe in being very blunt just as he is blunt, that is why I think that we
get on very well together because I tell you my mind, I don’t care how you feel
as long as I’m saying the truth, that is very important to me and in Nigeria,
if you’re a very truthful person and you say the truth at all times, they say
you’re difficult, you’re hard or this or that, but I just know he’s a very
straight forward person and to the point.
Often,
nasty reports get written about you in the newspapers and one gets the feeling
that this woman doesn’t bother?
Believe
me, you’re right, I don’t bother. I don’t bother. I don’t care what’s written
about me because what I say, if you write anything about me that is not true
and people call me saying that they’ve written some things about you, will you
not react? I’ll say don’t worry, if it’s a weekly, I’ll say next week, another
person’s story will come out and the edition containing my own story, they’ll
use it in selling roasted plantain or groundnut round the corner. If you want
to listen to what people say about you, you will not progress because whether
you’re good or bad, whatever you do in this world, whatever you are, they’ll
talk about you, good or not complimentary, so it should not bother you at all.
Let your conscience guide you as long as natural justice, equity and good
conscience control your life, you cannot do more than that. And you fear God,
that is all.
What’s
your guiding philosophy in life?
God
is first, natural justice, equity, and good conscience. Those three things. To be
fair, when you’re fair to your neighbour, that’s all.
Let's
have an insight into your childhood. Was it privileged?
I
would say very much because I come from a very comfortable family. My
grandfather was one of the first people who drove a car in Benin City. He was
the first Christian convert. He was a very privileged man, Pa Ighodaro, he trained
all his children, he produced the first male graduate, first female graduate,
first lawyer, and now I’m the first female Senator in Benin. I must say I’m from a
very privileged background and I thank God. Not my making, but because they had
worked very hard and God helped them, it’s a question of being privileged and
lucky. Being at the right place at the right time.
You
have equally famous siblings, the Ehanires, can we know them?
I
have a brother in Benin, Samson Ehanire, he’s a very good golfer, he’s a
businessman. I have another brother, Dr Osagie Ehanire, he’s a surgeon,
German-trained, he has a clinic in Warri. I also have a sister, who is a
Principal at St. Theresa’s College, Ibadan, she did French. She’s Mrs Falope.
My immediate sister is Dr Edugie Abebe, she’s a Director in the Federal
Ministry of Health. She’s a sister-in-law to a former First Lady (the late
Stella Obasanjo).
I
have a younger sister, who’s married to Senator Usman Sam Sam, she’s here in
Abuja, she read Tourism in Bournemouth, her name is Yuwa. I have a brother who’s
Andy Ehanire, he used to be in the State Security Service (SSS) as Assistant
Director. He’s retired now. He runs his own business. I have another brother
called Isaiah Ehanire, who works in Abuja. Another of my brothers is Egie
Ehanire, who was a Bank Manager, he’s
now into construction. I have two senior sisters, who are politicians Stella
Aideyan and Osama Edokpolor. I’m from a very big family, I have many sisters
and brothers. My father had many children, we’re about 20.
Who
are your friends?
As
a politician, I have many friends because I went through primary school,
secondary school, and University, I have worked, I’m into Politics, therefore, I
have many people who are my friends and I have a very friendly disposition.
Then I have some very good friends. My sisters and cousins are very close to
me.
Do
you have anything you’re passionate about?
Well,
I love Golf and I’m a member of the IBB Golf Course in Abuja, but when you’re a
golfer, you have to create a time for golfing. Recently, I’ve not had the time.
I also like flowers, as you see here, we’re planting our garden, my husband and
I are interested in having a very lovely garden. We both manage our garden very
nicely because we used to hold parties in our garden and then it’s good to have
a very nice environment for music, my husband likes music, in the evenings,
mostly, we listen to good music, we read, I love reading, he loves reading too,
reading, music, gardening.
Music,
which kind of music?
My
husband loves Jazz, Classical music, and easy listening.
In
a few words, describe your husband?
He’s
a man, who has time for his family, loving, and devoted and I think I’ve been
blessed by God.
And
if you come back to the world again.
I’ll
be his wife and I’ll be myself.
You
don’t want anything changed?
Nothing.
I have no regrets, and any cross I have, I’ve carried very well, God has
carried my cross for me and I’m a very happy and contented person. The main
thing in life is when you’re contented, you have all.
At
54, have you achieved your dreams?
I
will just say I thank God because I’m living a very satisfied life and I’m most
grateful to God. I don’t want anything changed.
Tell
us more about your parents...
My
father’s name is Ighodaro Ehanire, my mother is from Delta State she is Merry
Ehanire, She’s 83 now, she still resides in Benin.
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