23112019

Vanguard, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2019—27
While her progenitors
have favoured
careers in
Government, Politics and the
Military, Orode Uduaghan’s
passions are somewhat more
sublime.
The Human Resource
management practitioner
recently launched her second
book, titled Abba, but the
subject is certainly not her
biological dad, former Delta
State Governor, Dr Emmanuel
Uduaghan.
Following an extensive book
tour, she intimates WW on why
it was important to pen her
thoughts.
You have written a
couple of books now. Did
you always think you were
going to be an author?
No, I didn’t think I was going
to write a book, it wasn’t my
plan at all. I knew that at one
point in my life maybe I would
write a memoir, maybe when I
am 60 or so; but it has been
exciting being an author- very
interesting.
What part of it has been
most exciting?
I think first of all the ability
to share my thoughts, not just
in my journal at home or on
instagram but being able to
put it in a publication and also
having people get access to
how my mind works; allowing
people in and also just getting
the reception from people, the
feedback, the sort of
acceptance has really, really
been amazing and
overwhelming so that for me
has been the exciting part
about being an author. Having
people sort of relate to how my
mind works and accepts
certain things that I have to
say.
So in this digital age
when everyone just wants
to face a screen, what has
the reception been and
why did you want a
proper, proper book?
Strangely the reception has
actually been great but we also
have the e-copies so we are
ready for everybody. We have
e-copies on Amazon, Kindle
and some other platforms but
there really is nothing like a
hard copy. That smell when
you walk into a bookstore, you
can’t beat it no matter how
digital the e’s become. There
is just something about
holding that hard copy so for
me I really wanted that feeling
of holding something I was
able to burn. You can’t really
get over the hard copy no
matter what.
You wrote about a father,
yet not your father that
everyone knows. Discuss.
I knew people were going to
think at first that I was writing
about my earthly father which
is why we titled it the way we
titled it. But for me I had come
into a phase of rediscovering
myself in God, and not just as
a Christian but coming into
My father was nervous
when he heard my y book’s
title----Orode Uduaghan
Orode Uduaghan
the understanding of what it
meant to be a child of God, not
just as title but as an actual
child. Recognizing God as
your dad so having God do
everything a father would do
for you and to you. I
discovered that not too long
ago and that is what actually
birthed the book because I
have been a Christian all my
life but then I’ve never really
understood what it meant to
have that kind of father/
daughter relationship with
God. Coming into that
understanding really opened
my eyes to see God in a
different light, almost like I
wasn’t really afraid of him
again- you know, the way we
were taught to be.
Understanding what it meant
to actually having a
relationship with him- being
able to talk to Him, being able
to depend on Him, being able
to say no matter how sovereign
this God is He is still Daddy.
That for me is revelation on a
whole different level that I
wanted to be able to share
because I know there are many
people who still struggle to see
God in that light. Many people
see him as being so far away
and unreachable.
for me I had
come into a
phase of
rediscovering
myself in God,
and not just as
a Christian but
coming into
t h e
understanding
of what it
meant to be a
child of God
And remote…
So remote. You only need
Him when you need a job or a
car…
Or who shows up when
you’ve done something
wrong?
That’s not how it really
works. There are so many
dimensions of Him that we
need to be able to discover and
speak about that He actually
wants to share. When I started
understanding that aspect of
God I wanted to share my
experiences so that is how the
book was birthed. So no, it had
nothing to do with my earthly
Dad in any way, shape or form.
Did your Dad read the
book and when he did,
was he kind of jealous?
He did. He knew I was
writing a book but he didn’t
know what it was about until
seven days before the book’s
launch but at first he was
nervous. I didn’t know he was
nervous until I watched an
interview of him talking about
it, that what this girl had gone
to write because I said nothing
to anyone. I really wanted to
do this for myself.
By the time he was done I
think it also brought him to a
better understanding of God
as well. My mom was happy.
When your mother has prayed
all her life that you don’t
deviate from the faith! Both my
parents were happy.
You shared some
experiences with God in
the book. What are some
of them?
The most profound thing was
knowing that I could actually
talk to this God. We grew up
with the notion that prayer was
just asking Him for things. He
wants you to ask questions. I
also found He was very
interested in the details of my
life; He is not just interested
in the big things. He is
interested in the very minute,
ridiculous details like what I
am going to eat and how I am
going to do my hair.
I also shared about the very
disciplinarian part of who He
is because that is what really
makes Him Dad. Because
there is really no father that is
going to watch you go and ruin
your life. He is not a wicked
disciplinarian. Very minute,
unassuming things.
Yet in the book you wrote
about your mother having
the greatest influence on
your life where such
things are concerned...
Contrary to popular belief we
grew up in a very strict home.
My mom started. Making us
fast when I was five. My Mom
is part of Intercessors in
Nigeria so she prays 365 days
a year. She is that deep. She
believed that her role was to
ensure we followed in that
path which to some extent
helped. But when you grow
up to an extent you feel that
you really want to discover
these things for yourself so
you become a bit rebellious. I
had that phase as well. One
thing that really helped was
the seeds that were planted all
those years.
I have two kids and am
learning not to force my
children to be what I think
they should be; I’m supposed
to just guide them in to
becoming what they are
supposed to be of course with
the help of God. I don’t want
them to be me. I am a guide,
not an enforcer.
In this context what
should be the role of
parents in general, for
you?
The kids belong to God at the
end of the day so your role is
to always ask Him what He
wants for them. If you want to
know how to raise them go
and meet the person who gave
them to you. It helps me not
to worry because I can worry
for Africa. It helps me know
that their lives are not in my
hands but in someone’s hands
that are greater than mine so
however they turn out, it’s on
Him.