Dr. Mofunanya Stella is the Rector of the Redeemer’s College of Technology and Management (RECTEM), an institution established by the Redeemed Christian Church of God. She is a dynamic and trailblazing academician. Her inspiring journey navigating the challenges of widowhood to achieving professional success is a testament to her resilience, determination, and unwavering commitment to excellence. Recently, she spoke with The BeautifulDay Testimonial Magazine on various germane matters relating to her college, life experience and women leadership role. Excerpts.
As a woman, how have you been able to strive and achieve success in a male dominated organization? How did you persevere and rise to the top despite potential obstacles?
Thank you very much. I want to say that it has been by the special grace of God and probably by the challenges I had faced before this appointment. And then, coming in here with the mandate given to us by the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, coupled with the fact that I was under his ministration so many years ago when he said that the camp was going to be a city of God and it will have university, college of education and polytechnic. So when I was called to assist, I had no choice than to take it up as if it is my personal business. And you are right, when we look at the board each time I attend the association of rectors in Nigeria, it is dominated by men, but for the grace of God, I would have felt intimidated. But to the glory of God, I’m the only female rector who is a member of executive of all rectors in Nigeria. It’s just God.
I told God that I need the boldness, the audacity to do this job as His child. And again, when you see Daddy G.O running in prayers, RECTEM is among the beneficiary institutions. I believe that it is the anointing upon Daddy G.O that has rubbed off on me.
Ever since you assumed office, how have you driven change and progressed RECTEM as an institution?
On my resumption here, I met just 52 students. And again, I give all glory to God and to the prayers of our parents in the Lord. It was not easy, it was like starting all over again and today to the glory of God, we have over a thousand students and it is because of that passion that is driving me.
For women who aspire to leadership roles but may lack guidance or specific skills, what words of encouragement or advice would you offer?
It is to have a personal relationship with God and like I said, 90% of what helped me is that I have the privilege of sitting under the tutelage of Daddy G.O. At those days in Ebute-Metta when he was our digging deep teacher, there was a year he told us about our profession and that we must belong to our professional association. That year, suddenly I just said to myself, if Daddy G.O is telling us to do this, I think before then, he mentioned politics that we should go into politics and make it a clean game and even when people are saying politics is a dirty game, we his children should go into politics. That year, I went for my professional association election and became the first female vice chair-person of that association in Lagos where we have professors, people with PhDs.
Of course, that prompted me to go for PhD and that was before RECTEM started. Again, there was a committee in Yabatech that invited me to assist them which I did and probably, God has seen my heart and had prepared me for a journey like this. I was a widow for almost 15 years before I remarried and being a widow in academics in Nigeria, you know what it means. But I was intentional; I made up my mind I wasn’t going to sell my destiny on a platter of compromise. I made up my mind to aspire to be great in life. So, the moment I had a PhD, I was given new appointment in Yabatech and then, I got the RECTEM job. To the glory of God, we have broken records. I’m the first Nigerian woman to be on the board of all Vice-Chancellors and Rectors in Africa and that is because of the prayers of our parents in the Lord.
Recently, RECTEM was accredited to run HND programme, what has been the response in terms of students’ enrolment?
Thank you very much. Again, we give God all the Glory. We are barely five years; there are institutions that have lost their certificates after resource visit. But, coming in here and with the foundation that my predecessor laid and the council member’s support, accreditation was done; also, with finance from our parents in the Lord, we were given approval to start HND courses. Yes, patronage is encouraging for now, because we know that, well, it’s the unwise people that compare themselves with others. We know that we’re flying high because, there are private institutions that are still struggling with 100, 50 students. But, to His Glory, we are over a thousand.
We have part-time students and then the HND has started and it’s encouraging. Even with the discrimination against Polytechnic institution in Nigeria. We are not looking back.
What about challenges in terms of fees or what have been your institution’s fees compared to that of other institutions?
Fees payable for a private institution with equipment and a modern hostel like RECTEM is friendly; no cultism here. Our school fee is relatively very cheap. I mean, compared with the fact that they are in a hostel; they don’t have to pay transportation fee, and then again, students of pastors are under scholarship, 60% scholarship from the mission. And again, RCCG to the best of my knowledge, is the only private polytechnics that is doing this for children of pastors.
How can you describe the relationship between the institution and students?
Beautiful, maybe we should be inviting you. Well, fortunately, today if we had known, we would have given you an earlier time. We had a day-out with Pastor Leke Adeboye; Daddy G.O’s last born son. The relationship has been wonderful. We take them like our children; I run an open-door policy. They can see me. Though they have Dean of Student Affairs, they have their HODs and Supervisors, if there is anything, like I told them, they want to confide in me, they should come to me.
Bullying is not allowed and we have zero-tolerance for sexual harassment. So, the students feel free. For instance, yesterday I was driving home and I noticed a crowd of students at the main campus and the moment they saw me, they were all shouting “Hey… Mummy Rector, Mummy Rector” and me too, you know you have to behave like a youth… I said, “what is going on here?” and they said they were doing eating competition. I would have stopped them but when I looked at what they were eating; it was bread and coke and the competition was about the fastest person to finish a loaf of bread with coke. I grabbed the bread and said by the way, let me see, I just pinched the bread and they were shouting “ehhhhhh, our mummy”. However, when I should use the cane, I do. We have zero-tolerance for indiscipline. When we should be role models to them, we are role models; when we should be their parents, we are their parents.
RECTEM is known to be a Christian institution, do you admit non-Christians?
We have students who are Muslims. Parents know that bringing their children here is taking them under the shadow, pavilion of God. So, since I resumed, we have been having students from other missions, Christian religion, including Muslims. Parents come to me and say please, we know that we are safer and that they will be at peace in their homes because their children are here, not where there are cultists.
Apart from the fact that RECTEM is under the Redeemed Christian Church of God and that already has its own reputation and visibility, what other efforts have you made to increase the institution’s awareness?
Media, television stations; we did that when I came onboard. We visited some newspaper houses, and we are still doing that, and I know that is why you’re here too. It is part of why you are here. We are advertising the institution. So, anything we can do within our control to ensure that we advertise the institution, we do it.
Where do you see RECTEM in the next 5 years?
The next five years? It’s only God that can say, but I know that the next 5 years, we should have more programmes. Currently, we have 10 programmes; so, in the next 5 years, we should have 5 more programmes. I see RECTEM going places.
I want to ask: as a mother, as a friend, and as a role model to people out there, seeing so many youths who have a negative mindset when it comes to education, some even say “education is a scam” because of what is going on, that is, they graduate from school, no job, no financial aid and all that, what do you say about this?
This is an intelligent question too. I was at a forum: Directors of Entrepreneurship in South-West, and one lecturer with a PhD got up to say that she is tired; that it is like education is a scam and I said that it is a pity. You know it is like when we say, “show me your friend and I will tell you who you are”. I’m an entrepreneur. Your certificates may not give you food in Nigeria, and I grew up knowing that.
In Yabatech before I left, I was the head of their skill acquisition centre. I started the Yabatech skill acquisition centre. Seated here, I’m still an entrepreneur; I take classes, I teach them. Again, federal government has made it compulsory over 10 years ago that you don’t graduate without acquiring skills. And here in RECTEM, every Friday, we tag it marketing day.
The students are already learning how to produce different things. We have over 16 skills. For instance, for those going to produce household detergent, probably disinfectant, we ensure that they do proper packaging and labelling. Those producing snacks, they sell. So, by the time they graduate and they are selling their snacks maybe meat-pie or puff-puff; meat-pie of an illiterate that will go for N100, theirs will sell for N500 and you will buy because of packaging and presentation just like you are doing now. So, education is not a scam, it depends on you. And again, no one should depend on one source of income in this nation; that is the truth. But, if you are educated, it will be a plus. We have heard that the man that produces the world’s most expensive suit, a fashion designer, is a Nigerian. We have an Ejiro Amos Tafiri, she is a fashion designer, a graduate from Yabatech. A gown you will buy at Balogun market for N2, 000, Ejiro will sell for N250,000. She has her market because she is educated. Education is not a scam, rather, it is a ladder to take one to greater heights if one applies wisdom.
Influencers on social media are shaping most of the youths out there; even the young women, they follow in their footsteps. But we don’t see many professionals like you on social media. So, how will the use of social media enhance in educating these young ones?
It is part of what Leke Adeboye took today. I have followers on Instagram, and at my level, I cannot be on social media 24hrs. Social media has come to stay. It is now for us to educate the youths that the moment you go on somebody’s page, the person is becoming richer. What are you doing at the end of the day? If you follow the right people, for instance on Instagram, you will learn a lot; but if you follow the wrong people like Bobrisky & co, you will learn the negative things. So, it depends on where the person is coming from and that is why foundation is key.
That does not mean that born-again Christians don’t miss it. Somebody can be on social media for 4 hours and you won’t even know and you will waste your time. And that 4 hours, if only you know how much the people you’re following are making, then you too should aspire to be an influencer on social media, which I’m going to be doing too very soon in a positive way, to educate people just like you have said. Some of us are there; Ibukun Awosika & co, they are on social media. Just for people to know; there are right people on social media and not the ones that are exposing their cleavages and private parts on social media. Follow the right people, social media has come to stay and we all need it.
You mentioned that you were a widow for almost 15 years. How were you able to make this aspect of your life a stepping stone to your greater heights?
It was not easy, I cried when I should cry and it was tough. I had only my first degree before I became a widow and of course, there was harassment and like I told you, I made up my mind that I will stand with my shoulders high and whatever it will cost me and my God to educate my children. I had 3 girls and they were very young then but I made up my mind. Remember I told you I’m an entrepreneur. So, I went to acquire more skills: I was baking, cooking for people for parties, managing events, before I went back to school for natural medicine.
So, I kept myself busy and if you read the book of Timothy, you will discover that the Bible says some widows compromised. Also, no one is allowed to be called a widow until you are 60 years and above. I was hurt but I held unto Exodus 23-24 that says ‘you must not hurt the widows and the fatherless, if you hurt them, they will cry unto God from the throne of Grace. I was crying unto God and it was not because of my prayers, it’s the mercy of God and because I was busy, I was highly focused. I lived a triangular life style: church, work, my home and then, I had a business. By the time I finish baking and decorating for people, I pack my things, pay the staff, then I get back home tired and sleep. Early in the morning, I would be having 8:00am lecture at Yabatech, so I was busy.
When I went for my Masters, I was granted one year leave, well, it took me 3 years. Thereafter, I went for PhD. For the PhD, I didn’t get leave. I was shuttling between Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and Benin. I did PhD in UNIBAN for 8 years because I was intentional and focused. If I had compromised, I would have had a boyfriend that would pick up my bills. But I paid my fees alone, while spreading the children’s school fees and to the glory of God, they have graduated. The last born was in her final year when I re-married. So, it took me almost 15 years to re-marry; it wasn’t easy. But I refused to compromise, I refused self-pity and another thing that truly helped was that I became a project coordinator for Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija’s foundation.
She has a foundation for widows, so I was facilitating it and of course, obviously seeing widows that I was doing better than and some we were trying to educate. You see in life, we are bound to face challenges. But, as a Christian, the way you handle crisis will determine whether you are in Christ or you have allowed the crisis to overwhelm you. I refused to allow the crisis to overwhelm me and God saw me through. If I tell you it was easy, I’m lying. It wasn’t easy. In the first year, I wrote a book: ‘From Rift to Grace’. In the second year, I wrote another book: ‘Two weeks with Ants’, a true life story of how I spent two weeks of mourning with ants. It will show you what I went through. And then I wrote, ‘Hephzibah and Beulah 1&2’ and the books encouraged people. So, here I am today to the glory of God.
We know that there is poor funding of education in Nigeria. What advice do you have for the Government in order to ease funding challenges?
That part concerns federal institutions. But luckily, we have Tertiary Education Trust Fund (Tetfund). Recently, at a programme in Ibadan, some Nigerian lecturers didn’t even know that there is Tetfund. This fund is available to cater for attending conferences home and abroad. The only problem is lack of proper dissemination of information. The Bible says we should pray for those on top. We can only pray for our leaders. That is why the leaders cannot do it alone. I’m telling you about Tetfund, the money is there and many Nigerians in federal and state schools don’t even know that they can access it. So, I was surprised two weeks ago when somebody said education is scam that they are not getting money. I said, there is Tetfund for you, are you not aware? Most of them are not aware. We discovered that even when there is opportunity, it is only few people that grab it and they keep quiet.
So, we have that problem. As a leader, I cannot say anything negative about the nation. All I can say is that God will help us in Nigeria. When you travel out, you will discover that Nigeria is a wonderful country. It is the only country you can set out to start your hairdressing business and nobody is asking you for tax. So, we should pray for our leaders and I know that God will restore the lost glory in this nation. I’m sure you are not aware that there was a time in Nigeria that people were getting what is called essential commodities, just like you hear that in Canada, U.S, and other countries where there is food bank. Are you aware of that in Nigeria? You are not aware? I was a little girl and I knew then. I pray God will help us out of corruption in Nigeria.
It is just like Tetfund that was not given proper awareness. So, Nigeria is a wonderful country, we should just pray just like the Bible says that the hearts of the kings are in His hands and like a flowing river, He will turn the hearts of our leaders and their advisers to Him and things will work well.
Finally, in spite of the challenges you have gone through from what you have narrated, we can see that you are looking very beautiful, calm, and peaceful; what has been the secret?
I thank God, I grew up not drinking anything carbonated and I stopped taking cola drinks and no juice 20 years ago, and like I told you, I did natural medicine. So, I live on nature; no shawarma, no burger, except once in a while. There’s nothing that God has not given to us. Socrates said; ‘let your food be your medicine and your medicine, your food.’
The secret is that I believe in the great grandma’s soup of ‘iru’ (locust beans). Now, the whites are selling your ‘ata-ijosi’ for you and they’re giving you cayenne pepper, canned and we are buying. And the Chinese are telling you their capsulated ginger and turmeric is better than your ‘Ayu’ (garlic) in Nigeria. They are telling you that ‘ewedu’ is not good and they are capsulizing it. They are telling you that bitter leaf is not good; even amongst us, we say it is evil soup. British, America have it in capsule and they are using it for diabetes. So, I just eat as a typical Nigerian and I give God all the glory.
What do you have to tell those who are of your age but are still eating in this kind of petty manner?
I’m 58, that is almost 60. So, if you think of the stress I went through as a widow: struggling, cooking, doing different jobs, you said what should be my advice to them? They should look back to the way our grandmothers were eating. Those days, every 3 weeks, they were detoxifying us; they called it purge in those days. Those days, taking minerals in my house was every weekend or every two weeks, you take Pepsi or 7up. But even at that, you discover that whatever they eat will even neutralize it. But here, on the road we are eating gala, shawarma, plantain chips and yet complaining of cholesterol.
People producing and selling cholesterol are making more money now unlike when our grandparents were alive. They work-out, they go to farm. I know I have to sit here 24/7 so, I don’t need cow milk. We have our plant-based milk. We should just eat as Nigerians here. An American Doctor has written a book and Nigerians are following him; that you should eat according to your blood group. The blood group O in Nigeria cannot be the same blood group O in America. My gene is not the same as yours; I practiced it for 4 years as a researcher. Moderation is key in whatever we are doing. You recall that our parents, great-grand parents, didn’t have clock yet, they knew what time it is. But you and I know when you get home by 10:00pm that is when you’re going to eat because of traffic and then your organs are not able to digest the food you have eaten late. May God help us and all shall be well.
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