By Tanya Maswaure
“You have to have a lot to bring to the table, and you can only get that by loving what you do.” -Yetunde Asika.
Amid the crisis in Ukraine, the world was astonished to witness the blatant racism and discrimination that occurred on the Ukrainian borders as people sought refuge in the neighbouring countries. Several individuals have addressed this problematic issue, and we must illuminate the voices of those speaking up for the victims of this racism and discrimination. One such voice is that of Yetunde Asika.
Amazons Watch had an inspiring discussion with Yetunde Asika on her successes, projects, and passions. Advocate Yetunde is more than just a talented lawyer and a woman driven by her desire to help by being a voice for the people. “A lot has happened in my life to shape the person that I am today. The first monumental moment for me was being picked to be an Advisor to the UK Home Secretary and Members of Parliament and then partake in an exclusive Government Leadership Skills and Managerial Programme”, she shared with us. She has been on a tremendous journey that has inspired many around her from that point on.
Yetunde Asika is an advocate of the High Court of Nigeria, an International Human Rights Lawyer and an Associate Partner at Rose Chambers. She earned a Bachelor of Laws Degree (LL. B) and a double Master of Laws (LL.M) in Corporate Commercial Law and Intellectual Property Law from Holborn College of Law, UK. She received professional certificates, including the LPC for Solicitors from the Inns of Court School of Law (ICSL) in the UK, and The Nigerian Bar, from Lagos, Nigeria. Her years of experience have led her to work with influential individuals who also stand to represent the minority. She has collaborated with the UK House of Commons and the USA National Bar Association. Yetunde is a Human Rights Activist and a firm advocate for community development. She is dedicated to the financial growth and positive empowerment of women and the building of leaders. She is a role model for young females who aspire to be lawyers, she also does not tire of fighting for what is right.
Her journey has not always been smooth sailing. She has faced several challenges that she had to take head-on. “Advocating for these issues essentially means the criticism of governments and institutions. While I have no issue with criticising institutions, criticising governments is another thing.” Madam Asika confessed, yet this did not deter her. “This is where the passion kicks in. You do it if it means that much to you. But I try to be wise with it and be diplomatic yet straight to the point because my ultimate goal is to get results.”
Her most recent battle is for the African refugees in Ukraine and Poland. Alongside Internationally renowned lawyers such as Ben Camp and Jasmine Rand, Yetunde Asika has been speaking widely and has brought attention to the injustice that occurred and continues to haunt the refugees. In her published opinion piece, she stated, “The double standard and blatant racial injustice/act of terrorism is loud and reeks of folly. CARC and other international human rights organisations appeal to the global community to get involved and end this form of offensive aggression, steeped in a lack of education and pathological delusion constantly being displayed by the West.”
As we concluded our conversation Amazons Watch asked her what message she would like to communicate to the world and our readers, and her response was noteworthy: “The world should know a couple of things. Firstly, there is only one race. The human race. We need to start using the correct terminology when we are talking about “issues related to race”. There cannot be discrimination from one race to another, as there is only one race so these acts that we are describing as “racism” are, in fact, terrorism and it is Ethnically-Prejudiced European Terrorism.” She explained that this is the ideal and suitable terminology that we need to start using to treat the offenders as the “terrorist” they are.
Finally, she advises youths and anyone who looks up to her that “To progress professionally, all you have to do is be able to add value to whatever it is you are doing. There needs to be something that you are bringing to the table. You have to have a lot to bring to the table, and you can only get that by loving what you do.”
It is always an honour to speak to women doing all they can to be the voice for those who have been silenced by the troubles of society. As Amazons Watch, we are always excited to shine the spotlight on our warriors and champions. They inspire us to be better, do better and lead to a better world.
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