Can you briefly describe yourself and the work that you do?
My name is Ambassador Rosemary Atu from Gwafan District of Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria. I am a Principal manager at Nigeria Communications Commission. I joined the Commission in 1999 after the one year mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). As a result of my commitment to excellence in my place of work, I have received several awards, like Meritorious Service Award, Long Service Award and many others.
I am passionate about humanity, particularly the less privileged; I have given a good number of young people scholarships. I am that kind of person that doesn’t like to announce my philanthropic works. In fact there are students that I sponsor in school in my community that I warned the excos of my community not to let their parents know who is behind the sponsorship. I believe that when the right hand is doing something, the left hand should not know about it.
I have been doing this for quite a while now, Little did I know that people were actually watching. I was just there on my own and the youth said “mummy, if you think you were hiding yourself, this sponsorship, this entrepreneurship training and this empowerment programme, we know you are the one sponsoring them.”So,they went ahead and gave me an award. I was amazed. So that actually prompted me to do more. And in my little capacity as a civil
servant, I have been able to organize several empowerment programs for entrepreneurs, and give scholarships to people.
In 2023, I was just doing my activities and a group of people saw all that I was doing and awarded me Ambassador of kindness. In 2024 again, I was awarded Plateau Man of the Year, for Humanitarian services. I thought I was not doing much, I did not know that the little I was doing was actually transforming lives.
What is the Inspiration behind your Humanitarian Services?
My passion for humanity is actually my inspiration. In my community, I organized an entrepreneurship training for women and I graduated 72 of them. For 5 days, we taught them how to make liquid soap, detergent, cup cake, shawarma, and many more. These are little businesses that they can do and support their homes. We have also planned out ways in which to follow them up and see how their businesses are doing.
As one of the Women Voices in Digital Communication, in what ways can we leverage technology to drive development in Nigeria.
In the area of financial inclusion, inthesensethatthislittlePOS businesses that people do, communication is involved. Without digital communication that would have been impossible, financial inclusion is digital empowerment. This small innovation has empowered millions of people across Nigeria
and has contributed to Nigeria’s GDP.
How can professional women like you create a Work-life Balance?
This can be done through planning and prioritization. There is a saying that goes “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” You have to plan to accommodate your work, your family and other things. You prioritize which one comes first atanyparticularpointintime.For instance, you don’t expect me to do my house chores during my office hours. As a working woman you have to plan and prioritize your activities. By doing so, you can have your sanity and be able to do more.
There is a belief that women don’t support women, how true is that?
This is not true at all, because when we are together we tend to achieve more. As a woman, when I offer my shoulder to a fellow woman to lean on, it gives me joy. I am excited when other women’s lives have been positively affected as a result of my effort. The modern woman is actually watching her fellow woman.
Which of your achievements are you most proud of as a woman?
Honestly, my entrepreneurship empowerment program for women. That thing made me shed tears of joy. I saw women eager and ready to learn. I said to myself, If this women can get a little push it will go a long way. So, I am proud of it and I will do it again.