Bomba Dauda
The audacity with which Mathias chases her targets is heartwarming and breathtaking – too. Her venture into the Irish political landscape is impressive and in part, the expression of boldness, courage and determination. A political adventure that hadn’t got a footprint in her country of origin, Nigeria. Such a courageous political entrepreneurial proposition can only be undertaken by people in her mold, those with unwavering guts, high moral standing, risk takers, and credibility.
“I’m people-focused and dedicated, with a high sense of duty, I leave a positive energy mark anywhere I go, and am a natural leader whose optimism, determination, resilience, and can-do attitude is infectious,” said Mathias.
Courage is synonymous with Mathias. One of her greatest attributes is her receptiveness to new ideas that will propel her to higher heights. Those who knew her back then as a young girl in Nigeria are certainly not surprised by her political ambition, what she has been able to achieved and accomplished at her young age because, historically, she never tinkered on her set goals.
Growing up in a somewhat cosmopolitan community in Southern Senatorial District of Kaduna State in Northern Nigeria, an agrarian community with a peasant setup, well-known for its conservative nature otherwise called Kafanchan. The town became famous in the 70s and 80s because it was a confluence for railway travelers heading to the northern, eastern and western region states.
1970s and 80s were bizarre for the development of the girl-child in Nigeria because of the biases towards the gender, especially in the conservative and complex northern region where she was born and bred. But the never give up attitude of the energetic lady often leaped to visibility in the face of intimidation and cultural barriers. She thrived, endured, and then flourished in ways that are unimaginable to weak minds.
She overcame a lot of barriers to place herself in a competitive position to compete in her life time ambitions. Her early days as a young girl who hadn’t the requisite basic social needs had to live up with what her poor parents provided. Mathias is the last born in a family of five. Her late dad was a Rail Train worker and her mum was a local food vendor. Like any poor family, substitution and improvisation are a daily learning processes due to lack. Her skill in improvisation saw her through the hurdles of life as an adult and a single mother of 3.
Because of her un-quenching desire to acquire western education, Mathias had trekked several kilometers from Mondays to Fridays every week for 11 years to school and acquired the rudimentary level of education. She acquired her marketing skill as a young girl while helping her mom selling food at the local train station in Kafanchan. I feel, she is well-equipped to survive and thrive anywhere she lives.
One of the tenets of Mathias politics is speaking for the voiceless and pursuing justice for the deprived. To achieve that, she founded A Million Voices, a mouthpiece for the deprived and neglected that are trapped in society’s crack. Some years ago, she visited Kafanchan, her place of birth after 30 years away. On the course of her visit, she addressed students at her former secondary school: Government Secondary School, Kafanchan and spread the message of love. She shared her story to hundreds of students succinctly and taught them the benefits that comes with hard work, endurance and perseverance.
In her characteristic magnanimous nature, she visited the local prison and provided inmates with succour to ameliorate their suffering and also spoke to them on how to live a crime free life and rebuilding a new positive life after servicing their prison term.“I stand for social justice, inclusiveness. I have the desire for a better world. One of my passions is contributing in diverse ways toward the advancement of the society and humanity,” she said empathetically.
Joyce Mathias has been in Ireland for 22 years. She schooled and obtained various certificates in Ireland, she is a post-graduate of the University of Galway and has MSc in strategy, innovation and people management and studied Honours at the Atlantic Technological University, Galway. She also has diploma in marketing, advertisement and Public Relation. The pragmatic lady has diploma in Human Rights Law and recently completed her political training with See Her Elected and Women for Election School. Mathias is a retailer and freelance language translator with huge knowledge in marketing and sales, has a strong passion for humanitarian intervention work and social justice advocacy. Her love for nature and empathy for humanity endeared her to Green Party in Ireland and she is currently the party’s councilor candidate for Galway City East in the general election in 2024.
Bomba Dauda
Journalist & PR Consultant
Publisher: Gurara Accord
