Women should be empowered to stand against any form of abuse

Even through she was attacked in her Port Harcourt home, some years ago the Amazon of the Niger Delta agitation, Annkio Briggs has no plans to slow down in addressing the issues facing her people.
Briggs, the spokesperson of Ijaw Republican Assembly and United Niger Delta Energy Development Security Strategy (UNDEDSS) doesn't care for her life especially when she is fighting for a good cause.

In a recent interview with Daily Sun, she spoke on her journey into activism and the role of parents in raising men that won't end up abusing their women. Excerpts:

You have been an activist for 14 years now, what challenges do you face as a female activist?
I have faced all the issues that women face in a male-dominated society like ours. When it comes to marginalizing me as a woman, I fight it. But when it comes to suffering pains, no one remembers I am a woman. I have to be treated like a man.

Years back, I was seriously attacked in my home and all the people that attacked me where young men numbering about 18. They were armed and gained entrance into my home in Port Harcourt and I was beaten to a pulp. I was in coma for five days. So, when it comes to that, no one remembers that I am a woman but I am handled the way men are handled. It is hypocritical for men to say to women that there are certain things women cannot do. I have faced a lot of threatening situations because men feel that I have to be seen and not heard and I confront them squarely. I was not raised to let those type of things bother me.

What kind of upbringing did you have?
My father and grand mother were a great influence on my life. Who I am today is hinged on my upbringing. My mother is British and her way of looking at things is different from the way my father and his mother looked at things. My mother's influence on me was different but the predominant influence that I am exhibiting today is that of my father and his mother because I was raised in the creeks. I was taught to look at the truth, recognize it and speak it. I was raised to be outspoken and not to be afraid of anybody but God. Although I was raised to respect everyone no matter their status in the society, I must not be intimidated. I was raise and to treat everybody equally. I don't have issues with respecting people. For me, my upbringing makes speaking the truth a natural thing. It is a choice we have to make that determines the kind of life we live. Everybody has the capacity to do good and evil at the same time but we are faced with choices everyday.

What triggered your going into activism?
I grew up in a community known as Abonima. I know what Abonima and the surrounding communities looked like while growing up because I see it in my mind's eye. I know what they looked like before oil pollution started and I know what they look like now. Those memories don't exist anymore. That is my drive for going into activism because I feel cheated and feel something has been stolen from me and I cannot recover it. I am angry about the living conditions of my people in the creeks because that was not the picture I had of my community while growing up. The degradation I witnessed in the creeks fueled my resolve to be an activist.

Were there times your kids told you to quit activism or soft pedal especially after you were attacked in your home?
Yes, they do that. They won't really be caring kids if they don't say that or try to make me stay away from the hazards of being an activist. In fact, it is not only my kids that are concerned for my safety but my family members as well. My uncles, aunties and even friends always try to dissuade me from doing what I love the most which is speaking against the injustice meted out to my people. God is the major force behind what I do. I know that God's hands is in what I do otherwise the temptation alone not to continue, to fall in line, turn a blind eye to what is happening to my people and to be rich by supporting every government in power is there. It takes the grace and strength of God to be focused in what I am doing. It doesn't matter what everyone is saying or doing, what matters is that I am doing the right thing.. My life is not in my hands and I don't worry about it because God keeps me. What I am worried about is my focus and doing the right thing.

Are you saying you are not afraid for your life?
Why should I be afraid for my life? My life is not even mine. Nobody can go to bed and be a hundred percent sure of waking up the next day. I will not stop speaking the truth even when it is dangerous to do that. Why will I waste my time and energy wondering about my life when everything is in God's hands?

How do you feel being an activist?
It is comforting to know that you are doing the right thing. It is more comforting to know that God is watching over you as you truly fight for the right cause. I feel great being an activist.

Do you see the changes you so desire for your people at hand having been in the struggle for a while?
Yes. If I don't visualize it, if I don't expect it, work towards it then what I am doing becomes meaningless. I am not doing what I am doing with the thought that at a particular time, I will hand the baton to someone else to continue from where I stopped, I am doing this because I believe the change will come in my time and I will see it. We have come a long way. I visualize the changes because I have seen some improvements compared to when I started. When I started, people didn't understand what I was talking about. People were suffering environmental degradation and have accepted it as a way of life. They were told that environmental pollution was what they must suffer to enjoy their oil wealth.

After that, I did some research and discovered they were being exploited and not enjoying the wealth of their community. I had to start educating them on how things should be and that was how I started as an environmental activist. I see changes soon because my people are now more aware of their environment and their rights as citizens of Nigeria. A lot has happened and my people know their rights, they no longer to accept lies and after this stage, we will start reaping the fruits of our fight for justice.

Would you want your kids to follow your footsteps?
No, I wouldn't want my kids to toe the same line, that is taking part in the Niger Delta struggle as it is called. But I would want my kids to do better than me when it comes to speaking the truth, standing up for justice and knowing that standing for the truth attracts God's backing. I raised my children the way I was raised and definitely I want them to become people that will be known for standing for the truth. If they are like that, then I would have succeeded in raising children that I would be proud of.

Do you have a beauty routine?
It's the regular one. I don't do anything special. I eat right and drink lots of water. I don't eat until I am hungry. I try as much as possible to stay away from unnecessary stress. I make myself happy and live life one day at a time.

What will you say to Nigerian women who are being abused either in relationships or marriages?
I am not distant from domestic violence. My responsibilities also involve educating women about their rights. They don't have to stay where they are going to die so as to remain in any relationship. Many women in Nigeria are beginning to realize they have power to make choices when it comes to their lives. In terms of violence against women, one area in which women can do something about it is to flee. For me, I will not stay a moment in a place where my life is hanging on a balance.

I will not stay in a relationship where I am mentally abused or turned into a punching bag. It is degrading for one to go through that. Staying in a relationship where you are mentally abused can make you go mad or kill yourself. it can make your life worthless or that of your children worthless. You find out that what most people tell you in our society if you are being abused is stay there for your children. "No one has ever been divorced in our family, you can't leave your home, remain there, endure and pray, the man will change." But what of when you die? What then happens to the children? Who will now take care of them? How will they deal with the trauma of your sudden death? All these questions need to answered truthfully by women going through abuse. They have to take a stand and say no.

Women that are going through abusive relationships whether in a family setting, in a relationship or in a marriage must know that they have a right to life. Women should realize they have a right to be happy and remain alive rather than stay married and end up dead. I am a single parent and my children understand me. I am a mother who loves my children and will not be in a relationship that will cost me my life. Men believe that as a woman you must be married because of the way our society is structured. Preserve your life, that of your kids and take your kids with you when you leave.

In what ways can these issues be addressed?
We need to re-orient our women. Immediately you have a girl, let them know that they are equal with their male counterparts. We need to treat them as parents in that manner. Do not create an atmosphere where the boy will be favoured and preferred above the girl. They will take it up and treat women shabbily when they become men. Parents should teach their boys to respect girls and care for them. What you instill in your child as a parent cannot be taken away by the societal pressures because it is now a part of his life.

I have three girls and a son and I have taught him to be a real man, to love and respect women the way he respects his aunties and me. We should raise our sons the right way and not the way society says we should raise them. No matter the provocation, no man has the right to beat a woman. Women should know that they are empowered to be anything they wish to be because they are equal with the men. Women should be strong and empowered so that they can stand against any form of abuse. A woman was created to be a companion and help a man not be a door mat or a punching bag.