Chief Mrs Esther Funke Arthur-Worrey is an icon. She is a living legend. She has spent more than half a century as a philanthropist, and volunteer, and, for several years, she was regarded as one of the most experienced and professional secretaries of her generation. Almost everyone knows her, and she inspires them. She is the mother of a one-time Lagos State Commissioner for Lands, Fola Arthur-Worrey.
She has literally lived through every government in Nigeria before and after independence.
Do you know that Chief Mrs Arthur-Worrey will be 95 in a matter of weeks, and she’s as strong as ever? She recently spoke to City People’s SEUN Emmanuel and revealed some of the secrets of her sporty, healthy and agile look at 95.
My name is Esther Funke Davies and became Funke Arthur-Worrey when I got married. I am a native-Lagos girl, you know. I was born and bred in Lagos. Lagos as we knew it was a nucleus of people who know one another. We were more or less a family. My Lagos was wonderful.
The radius of Lagos was to Obalende, and then Ikoyi belonged to the expatriates. You know the colonial masters were living there but from Ikoyi to Oshodi Tapa and Isaleko, Igbosere and Isale-Eko were the places that had lots of people. Lagos was very small at the time, but then, the difference today is awesome. I just drive around, and walk around and see the heads of people, but they are all looking well.
Look at the traders too, I talk to them; I love going to the market.
Really?
Yes. I go to Sura. I have traded with their parents and the children are there now. Not that I don’t have people who will help me to go and buy these stuff you know, I just love to go to those places and sit down with them, and share ideas and opinions with them. I just throw something at them and we start talking. Even though I’m 95, I love the fact that I still can go out and see other hard-working women out there. The way our women are working in Nigeria, I am proud of them. When you get out at 7am they are already out there and have already prepared food for you, especially those who don’t cook at home but rely on them. You will see them when you go to Ebute-Ero, or when you go to Sandgross, you will see them packing. I’m proud of our Nigerian women. I don’t know why they cannot become president. They are capable, and you will see how things will turn around in Nigeria if they are given the chance.
So you had all your basic academic qualifications in Lagos?
Yes. Then from there, I went to England. I studied at Pitman’s College. I eventually became a professional secretary and when I came back, I started working with SO company. Then I got married. I met my husband in Nigeria and got married and then went to England in 1952, and returned to Nigeria in 1960.
When I look back at my life, I just ask, how did it happen? Who arranged it? I’m just very grateful to God. Both in Lagos and in the UK, God had placed me in the midst of good people, family and neighbours who helped with the kids even when we were not around. My shop in Balogun was called Blue Gate at the time. I am one of the luckiest women, and I want you to thank God for me,
What’s the secret behind the energy, even at 95, you still go around without any aid?
(Laughs) It’s God almighty, my maker because I just feel moved. Although I get cautioned by people sometimes when I want to cross the road. So I just remind myself at times that hey, you are not that young anymore (laughs), otherwise, I feel good.
Is there any nutritional guide?
So, far, it’s not my doing. Ask my children, if I crack bones or eat crab (laughs). What I don’t like it when I go out and see something that I like, for instance, I buy soup and pepper and whatever and I am eating, and people see and say,” mummy, you still eat meat?. I don’t like it (laughs). Because at the moment, I eat what I like. If I don’t like it I don’t eat it. And I like our native food. It’s the best in the world. Maybe it’s the way we prepare it. It’s the best nutritious food in the world. Like Amala and Ewedu with Abula and then Efo with Egusi. That Egusi is very nourishing, and then we have smoked Ogufe. And then the contentment when you eat our native food. And then water, of course, that’s number one all over the world. And then our fruits and vegetables; although they are now very expensive you can still find a way, to buy what you want. I love our food; I like Eba, Amala, Tuwo and all.
For a long time before now, I must confess, I like to have a glass of beer. But now I like wine. I still take Coke, Sprite and other soft drinks. I thank God Almighty healthwise
You are prominent in the circle of charity, with the kind gesture to extend to people. Are you affiliated with any charity organization?
Let me start from 1960 when we returned to Nigeria. In 1961, a friend of mine, who’s still alive: Mrs Deji Alakija, invited me to their meeting, she was a member of the International Women Society, IWS. She told me it’s a charity organization that comprises diplomats and expatriates’ wives. When I got there, the aims and objectives suited me. By the time I attended the third meeting, I had fallen in love with society, and then I joined. And it has changed my life because we had to find a way of contributing to society. Then we used to sew for the children at Makoko. Makoko was not as beautiful as it is now at the time. There were so many boats and half-naked children. We used to sew and give them clothes, and there was also a school there that we used to supply uniforms. We also used to go to the Motherless babies’ home in Yaba. We just go round and make sure we sort as many people that we are aware of their needs. I was part of the committees. I later became the president in 1997. Now, I am one of the trustees of the International Women Society.
And then Lion. My husband started Lionism back in the 80s, he was so close to the shippers at Apapa, he was their legal adviser back then. So they invited him to join Lionism. Back then, we, women couldn’t call ourselves Lions, but Lionesses. Eventually, I also became the president at some point. We were very active and God helped us. But now I cant go all the way to the meetings and events, but I certainly communicate with the groups.
With your vast experience in Pentecostalism and denominationalism, what is your position on the church preaching more on miracles than getting saved?
Well, to me, my parents were Methodist. I got married and moved to Anglican, but then in between, my father Ezekiel Akindele Davies became one of the Apostles of the Moses Orimolade Cherubim and Seraphim church. He left the Methodist and it became a commotion among the elders. I was christened by Moses Orimolade Tunolase himself in 1927. He baptised me himself. Some of the church elders still get across, especially in Orile Kemta at that time.
But then, this miracle thing: it’s all the way Christianity is entrenched in Nigeria, same as the Islamic group too. Note that we still have the traditional group too, in fact, they are prominent here on the Island.
I cannot judge anybody. Because it’s what you believe, and according to our constitution, there is freedom of speech and worship. I am not a Muslim but I have read the Koran. It is wonderful that you can pray in some of the verses and your prayers will be answered.
So if you believe that Christ is good for you and that you believe there is only one God, that is enough. But then if you don’t believe in all that, it’s still you and your God. It will be wrong of me to say I don’t believe in their miracle.
I knew one Pentecostal Church some time ago, the man is dead now, along Lekki road. He will tell you, to put your salary up to and don’t remove a kobo from it, he will tell you to give it to God and you will build your dream mansion, dreamland or car. Even some people who were gatemen will not touch that envelope until they give it to the pastor. The man is late now.. I can’t remember his name, but his church members believed him, I can’t say if they used to get what they prayed and sacrifices their finances for. It’s left for them and God.
How was life before the digital revolution?
Yes. Our children are living in a different world. I call them IT children with the internet. We didn’t have all those. Not even an ordinary phone until recently. Even, when we had land phones, we had to go to Marina to call abroad, you cannot call abroad until you go to Marina or P&T. but now it’s a different thing. Look at television also, people are now exposed to television; some programs are good and some are not good. We love books in our time. We cannot do without it. Even if you look at my room now, you will see a lot of City People magazines everywhere. I read the novel, I read the Bible, I read everything that will give me information about what’s going on, at times I just pick the map and looked through it.
Can you compare the economy of the 40s, 50s and 60s and today?
Wow! It was fun back then. How much was our salary then? If you give somebody 4 pounds; we are using sterling then. My mother used to have a maid from the west. She gets 2 Shillings a week. Even when I was working at Bata, it was 7.50 pounds I was getting then, but then with that, you will save. I remember my first bank, at the end of the broad street, it was called Bank of West Africa. So immediately we get our salary, we cannot transfer like you people do from the comfort of your homes, so we remove the one for church, remove a little for some other little expense you want to incur, and take the rest to the bank. There’s a booklet that will detail all your transactions and our parents would monitor the booklet to the letter.
And that was a very good foundation for our set. But now, I don’t even know how people survive. How much can you take to the market now? Before with only 5 Shillings, let’s even say 5 pounds, we will go to Badagry, Ota, Epe, and you will fill the boot of your car, Garri was 4 Shillings, and Rice was cheaper everywhere.
But look at the situation now, they said it will cost about 30 thousand naira now to travel? I just feel so sorry for the youths, I don’t know how they manage but God is there. Things are very expensive. But I believe Nigeria will be good. We had it so good, I can’t finish talking about the enjoyments, we can go anywhere anytime, we hold carnivals and we had a lot of fun, but that is not the case now, nowhere is safe anymore. But I pray for you, God will return the good days.
Can you share with us your happy moments?
Wow. My happy moment was when I met my husband.
My husband and his two siblings lived in England. Their parents took them there when they were very young. His elder brothers got married in England and settled there. But my husband said he wasn’t going to marry a white woman and he was dying to come to Nigeria to see where he started his childhood. It was a story for them; he didn’t know anything about Nigeria, so he insisted on coming home. He managed to get a job with the colonial masters as a teacher. He was sent to Birnin Kebbi in the North. Before he even came back, he was like my brother’s ward. He was staying with my brother and his wife. When my brother and his wife came home, they would always talk about this man. We were so fascinated by him. We learnt he was coming home to go and teach at Birnin Kebbi. We hadn’t even heard of that place before. But we were excited to meet him based on the stories we had heard about him. When he came home, all the girls lined up to greet him. We were telling him ‘welcome’ and he was just shaking all of us. It got to my turn, I said ‘welcome’ to him. We were all timid and shy then. He just grabbed my hand and he said I would be his wife. I nearly died. I was so embarrassed. I told my sister-in-law I didn’t understand what the man said. And that was how it started. He was in Lagos for six months before going to Birnin Kebbi. But while he was in Lagos, he would take us everywhere. He was a football fanatic so he would take us to Race Course (Lagos) to go and watch football. He eventually went to Kebbi. It was so terrible for me. I couldn’t eat, I was always crying. Fortunately for me, he was in Birnin Kebbi for about five months and he got fed up. He broke the contract he had with the colonial masters and he came back to Lagos. He said he didn’t want to be a teacher again if he was to live in Birnin Kebbi. He started working in my brother’s chambers as a clerk.
I was reluctant to let him go. He didn’t even want me to stay back in Nigeria. So we got engaged. He eventually went back to England and six months later, I joined him. And that was when we started travelling all around Europe even with the little he had then. We came back in early 1960 with two children. We were lucky to have been back before the independence so we were able to participate in all the independence activities.
Where is your husband from?
He’s from Delta State. His father was from Abraka and his mother was from Warri. I didn’t even consider the thought of where he came from. Besides, he was in England all through. He left Nigeria at the age of four. Before he came into the scene, I had a few friends. We didn’t call them ‘boyfriends’ at that time. When he came and took over, there was this jealousy. People were asking who he was.
We were in love. I didn’t care he wasn’t Yoruba. He was unique and he was very intelligent. I loved him so dearly and he spoilt me rotten. We got married in 1952. And since then, we never stopped thanking God. He died 12 years ago, and when he died I thought I would die myself because everything was done by him. He was a good father; a good friend and everything.
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