Meet Ojoma Ochai, Assistant Country Director of the British Council in Nigeria and speaker at the 2014 Social Media Week Lagos.
CN: Who is Ojoma Ochai?
OO: Ojoma Ochai is a 32 year old wife, mother, sister and daughter. I also consider myself a thinker, talker and doer. I have worked in various roles in Information Technology and Project/Programme Management. Educationally, I started out in the core sciences (chemistry), moved into IT management (Network Engineering) and ended up in project management. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to be!
CN: What achievements of yours would you describe notable?
OO: I think my most notable achievements are still ahead. I see my past as stepping stones to the greatness I believe are in my future. My work in championing the development of the creative industries through my role in the British Council are perhaps the most notable of these stepping stones.
CN: What was your earliest ambition (Childhood)?
OO: I always wanted to be a doctor because it was the cool thing to want to be! (
laughs)
CN: What three adjectives describe you best?
OO: Ambitious, thorough, liberal
CN: What would you term as the most important event in your life?
OO: The first most important event in my life would have to be the birth of my two sons – the first in 2009 and the second two months ago. Having them is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, I think and as cliché as that might sound, it also has been the most rewarding.
CN: How do you deal with criticism?
OO: Not very well. But to be brutally honest, I find that I have to make a conscious effort to take criticism well and I cannot say I always succeed. But I am certainly no ostrich so regardless of how I respond to the criticism in public, I do spend a lot of time on self-reflection and will spend time thinking about the criticism I receive to decide if it is valid or not.
CN: How politically committed are you?
OO: So much of what we term in Nigeria as political engagement and commitment particularly among young people is a load of hot air. We pontificate on social media from our cushy air conditioned offices and homes and think that we are changing Nigeria. I am not completely innocent of this but I believe political commitment is more about real change, real action and true impact on real people’s lives through political process. I am committed to making impact and creating opportunities but I have to say I am not particularly plugged into the scene. This is not apathy but it is because I have not found the right platform. We are building new platforms, but only time will tell what we can achieve for the future.
CN: What is it you regard as satisfactory and fulfilling about your career?
OO: Becoming assistant director of the British Council in Nigeria and having the opportunity to develop programmes, advocate change and stimulate people to action is pretty fulfilling. For example I helped design a business skills training programme for creative people. Through that project we have reached over 2,000 face-to-face and several more by radio and are equipping people with real valuable skills to allow them earn a living from their creativity. It feels good to be able to facilitate things like that.
CN: What would you view as a challenge at a time in your career that you had a tough time handling?
OO: Every day brings on challenges of its own and winning is about how you deal with these daily challenges and what principles you employ to help you overcome.
CN: If you had the chance to go back in time, would you want to choose a different career?
OO: I did not even chose a career because my career chose me! I can’t pretend I made a deliberate decision to go for the career that I have now. I think it was more about making the best of every opportunity that came my way and this career came as a reward for that hard work (not discounting the grace of God!). I therefore wouldn’t change anything.
CN: What piece of advice do you most frequently get asked and what is your answer?
OO: How can I get a job with British Council? (
laughs!) and my response always is ‘read the application guidelines’ and ‘don’t fill in your application in a hurry’. I advise this because for example, our job adverts always state that we do not receive CVs but in no less than half of the applications we receive, we get CVs (rather than a filled form) and about a third of those filled forms are improperly filled forms so probably only about 15 – 20% of applications we receive are actually considered for employment. This boggles the mind!
CN: What is your favorite vacation destination?
OO: Anywhere that my husband (and more recently my children!) would like to go. Of course, a place with nice restaurants, cool weather and friendly locals. I don’t like beaches anyways so my vacation dreams do not feature me on a beach with a wide brimmed hat!
CN: How does one remain current in the face of the continuous change in the world?
OO: I keep wondering what people did before the Internet found its way into our lives! I think people need to read and the internet has a huge resource. My first instinct when I need to learn something or get asked a question or even when I wonder about things is to search them out online. I get lost reading up stuff on the internet. A lot of times, they are ‘useless’ information but they sometimes come in handy at the most unexpected times.
CN: What books have helped you on your way to success?
OO: That is a hard question because there are several books I have read as I do love to read! In fact I have to read something every day or I won’t be able to sleep (
laughs). The most recent book that made a strong impact on me is Sheryl Sandberg’s
Lean In, which is a wonderful book about how women can and should get ahead in the workplace.
CN: What three watchwords have you followed that has brought you to this point in your career?
OO: Focus, Work hard; Play hard and Trust God.
CN: What is your favorite quote?
OO: “Be the change that you wish to see in the world” – Mahatma Gandhi
CN: If you were to address a hall full of young people waiting to explore the opportunities awaiting them in the world, what would you tell them?
OO: Whatever you do, always, always, always go the extra mile as there is no substitute for success that I know of asides this – Hard work.
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This article was first published on 4th March 2014
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CN: What three adjectives describe you best?
OO: Ambitious, thorough, liberal
CN: What would you term as the most important event in your life?
OO: The first most important event in my life would have to be the birth of my two sons – the first in 2009 and the second two months ago. Having them is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, I think and as cliché as that might sound, it also has been the most rewarding.
CN: How do you deal with criticism?
OO: Not very well. But to be brutally honest, I find that I have to make a conscious effort to take criticism well and I cannot say I always succeed. But I am certainly no ostrich so regardless of how I respond to the criticism in public, I do spend a lot of time on self-reflection and will spend time thinking about the criticism I receive to decide if it is valid or not.
CN: How politically committed are you?
OO: So much of what we term in Nigeria as political engagement and commitment particularly among young people is a load of hot air. We pontificate on social media from our cushy air conditioned offices and homes and think that we are changing Nigeria. I am not completely innocent of this but I believe political commitment is more about real change, real action and true impact on real people’s lives through political process. I am committed to making impact and creating opportunities but I have to say I am not particularly plugged into the scene. This is not apathy but it is because I have not found the right platform. We are building new platforms, but only time will tell what we can achieve for the future.
CN: What is it you regard as satisfactory and fulfilling about your career?
OO: Becoming assistant director of the British Council in Nigeria and having the opportunity to develop programmes, advocate change and stimulate people to action is pretty fulfilling. For example I helped design a business skills training programme for creative people. Through that project we have reached over 2,000 face-to-face and several more by radio and are equipping people with real valuable skills to allow them earn a living from their creativity. It feels good to be able to facilitate things like that.
CN: What would you view as a challenge at a time in your career that you had a tough time handling?
OO: Every day brings on challenges of its own and winning is about how you deal with these daily challenges and what principles you employ to help you overcome.
CN: If you had the chance to go back in time, would you want to choose a different career?
OO: I did not even chose a career because my career chose me! I can’t pretend I made a deliberate decision to go for the career that I have now. I think it was more about making the best of every opportunity that came my way and this career came as a reward for that hard work (not discounting the grace of God!). I therefore wouldn’t change anything.
CN: What piece of advice do you most frequently get asked and what is your answer?
OO: How can I get a job with British Council? (laughs!) and my response always is ‘read the application guidelines’ and ‘don’t fill in your application in a hurry’. I advise this because for example, our job adverts always state that we do not receive CVs but in no less than half of the applications we receive, we get CVs (rather than a filled form) and about a third of those filled forms are improperly filled forms so probably only about 15 – 20% of applications we receive are actually considered for employment. This boggles the mind!
CN: What is your favorite vacation destination?
OO: Anywhere that my husband (and more recently my children!) would like to go. Of course, a place with nice restaurants, cool weather and friendly locals. I don’t like beaches anyways so my vacation dreams do not feature me on a beach with a wide brimmed hat!
CN: How does one remain current in the face of the continuous change in the world?
OO: I keep wondering what people did before the Internet found its way into our lives! I think people need to read and the internet has a huge resource. My first instinct when I need to learn something or get asked a question or even when I wonder about things is to search them out online. I get lost reading up stuff on the internet. A lot of times, they are ‘useless’ information but they sometimes come in handy at the most unexpected times.
CN: What books have helped you on your way to success?
OO: That is a hard question because there are several books I have read as I do love to read! In fact I have to read something every day or I won’t be able to sleep (laughs). The most recent book that made a strong impact on me is Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In, which is a wonderful book about how women can and should get ahead in the workplace.
CN: What three watchwords have you followed that has brought you to this point in your career?
OO: Focus, Work hard; Play hard and Trust God.
CN: What is your favorite quote?
OO: “Be the change that you wish to see in the world” – Mahatma Gandhi
CN: If you were to address a hall full of young people waiting to explore the opportunities awaiting them in the world, what would you tell them?
OO: Whatever you do, always, always, always go the extra mile as there is no substitute for success that I know of asides this – Hard work.
