‘The African Woman Is A Super Woman’

Written by Ijeoma Opara

Dr. (Mrs.) Grace Sola-Oludoyi is a Nigerian psychiatrist based in London. She is a pastor with The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Royal Connections Parish, London and the founder of Dining with Christ (DWC), a unique event for women targeted at ministering to souls through dining, dancing and networking. She shares her ideal for women and the impact of DWC in Lagos.
NARRATING how the vision of Dining With Christ (DWC) evolved, Dr. (Mrs.) Grace Sola-Oludoyi said: “It started 15 years ago when a few of us (women) gathered to find out something that will entertain us because as women, all year round we are stressed out. We struggle with so many things and don’t have time for ourselves, and the vision came to have an event that will minister to souls of women because the Bible says a merry heart makes a cheerful countenance. So, it’s about ministering to the soul of women because we want to be joyful and thankful.
  “It is not an Owambe party, churchy affair or women conference. This is a social event for women and our desire is to minister to the souls of women. It’s an opportunity to network. People come here, connect with each other and testify to how they came. Usually before the end of the programme, my husband, the senior pastor, RCCG Royal Connection, UK and the patron, Dining With Christ, comes to prophesy and pray for the women. Therefore, women get the spiritual and the fun part, all in one place.”
  She traced the beginning to 2011 when about 200 women were brought together at Sheraton Hotel, Lagos for the programme. After two years of using that venue, they realized that it was too small and decided to bring it to its current venue, Ten Degrees Event Centre, Oregun, Ikeja.  
   They are not resting on their oars; they want to take it beyond Lagos. “Our desire is to make it bigger and spread it across Nigeria and Africa at large, because after having it in the UK for 15 years, women have asked that it should be brought to Nigeria because it is unique.
  “In London, we hold the event every first Saturday of the year, which is symbolic because we want to dedicate the first Saturday of each year dining with Christ. And in Nigeria, we choose November which is before Christmas and away from the school year. By God’s grace, we are hoping to take it to other cities like Abuja because people have been asking us to bring it close to them and we know that God will make it happen in his time”.
  The aim, she said, is to “minister to the soul of the women, give them a reason to rejoice because out there it is hectic. Everyone is stressed both the young and old, the mothers and singles.”
  Recounting the challenges faced, she said: “Initially, the challenge was just financial because we wanted to do something outside of the church building, either at a restaurant or a banquet hall and that costs money because we didn’t want to make it churchy but still under the Christian umbrella, which is in line with the name – Dining With Christ – not with a king or man but with Christ.
  “Every year, we have women from different churches that come to participate at this event. They would say that they heard about the event for women and want to be part of it. It’s a dinner dance and women who are even non-Christians come. That’s why we don’t make it a church event because it is all about women coming to have fun, dressed elegantly.”
  Being charity-driven, Mrs. Sola-Oludoyi said that apart from dining and having fun, they also thought about reaching out to the less privileged, especially women and children.   
  “Since this programme started in Nigeria, we have been reaching out to the Heart of Gold children, also the Holistic Mission of the Redeemed Christian Church of God; a mission that gathers prostitutes and rehabilitates them.
   “In London, United Kingdom, we have reached out to abused women. We donated to cancer patients because women are dying of cancer every day and by God’s grace, we are looking forward to doing other meaningful charity works that focus on women and children. But we are not biased against the men, because as the women and children are gaining from it, automatically the men get out of it because every woman is a care giver.”
  On the role of women in the society, she said: “Women occupy a very important place in every nation and if a woman is not cheerful, every other thing gets affected – career, well-being, marriage, family and every part of her body. Therefore, it should minister to her soul. Women play a significant role in the society; they have to be fulfilled in their lives for who they are. They deserve joy, honour, happiness and dignity.
   “Believe me, if the woman is perfect in that area, other aspects of the society gets taken care of. If the woman is suffering, every other thing from top to bottom suffers and so women are special and should not be looked down on.”
  She however describes an African woman as a super woman. “She is a woman that can do much with so little. She is a woman that is stretched – she gives, she is sacrificial, enduring, accommodating. An African woman makes something out of nothing, which is for the benefit of others, not even for herself in most cases. I can only say that it is God that will bless the African woman.”
  Being a doctor, a pastor, mentor, counsellor and writer, how does she manage all these roles with the home front? “From time to time, I do a self appraisal of myself. I look at the different things I am involved in, and sometimes I focus on one and later move to another because our life is in seasons.
   “Three years ago, I could not have been coming to Nigeria because my kids were young but now they are big enough. I have three children – my first daughter is 19. She is in university in London. My son and daughter who are 13 and 11 respectively are in secondary school”.
    What is her advice to women generally? “God is with her and she needs to know that she can’t do it in her own power because her power will fail. Her own might and abilities will fail but God will put an inner strength in her to keep persevering so that generations unborn will gain from her sacrifices and efforts.
  “Whatever she is working towards, she will reap the fruits of her labour, and so she should be proud to be a woman. I am proud to be a woman, although I don’t believe in reincarnation, but if ever I come back into this world, I will say ‘Lord, make me a woman’.
  Mrs. Sola-Oludoyi hails from Amakohia Ikeduru in Imo State. She is the second child in a Catholic family of six. She attended Federal Government Girls’ College, Owerri, Imo State and finished in 1984.
   In 1985, she got a scholarship to study Medicine in the former Soviet Union, now Russia, where she met her husband and they got married in 1994.
  She loves co-coordinating things, reading and housekeeping. Being fluent in Russian language, she enjoys communicating in it.