Growing up, I thought I was going to be a nun

Aju Elumelu is one woman you cannot ignore. There is something spectacular about her accent and dressing. Charming and friendly, this chief executive officer of AJU Global Media is also an international artiste and a television producer. She talked about her strict upbringing and other issues in this chat with us.

What was your childhood like?
It was wonderful. My father was strict and you can see, I have to be covered all the time. And everybody goes to my website and says ‘hey Aju show some skin’ but they don’t understand it. Growing up, I was going to be a nun, I kind of wiggled my way out of that but every teaching that my dad has thought me, I still held unto them. And that is, don’t show your legs; don’t show your shoulder and so on. But now that he is not here, I am showing a little bit of cleavage.

So what did you study?
I studied Hotel and Restaurant Management and then nursing. I didn’t know why I was going into nursing but it finally donned on me because I have a lot of work to do. I did HIV nursing which I truly like and I am beginning to practise in Nigeria. I am not licensed to practise here but what I have now, I use it to preach across the world about the effects of the disease and how you can abstain from it, the educational part of HIV/AIDS.

Do you reach out to those that are HIV positive?
Absolutely, what we do is try to tell those who are HIV positive that it is not over and that there are hundreds of medications that can sustain them. All you have to do is make sure you stick to your medication and you can live a sustainable life. Whatever it is, have a conscience; make sure you don’t infect somebody else. One thing I don’t like is the stigma that it carries, it could happen to anybody. So, you don’t have to ostracise those people because it could happen to anybody. If you are not a carrier, and not affected, you are infected. Infected is when you actually carry the disease, affected is somehow, some one that you know is infected, you will definitely be affected and your life will never remain the same even though you are not the one carrying the disease.

What is your most striking prayer point when you pray?
I usually do vigil every night, from 2 a.m. to 2.30 a.m. to rebuke all the witches because that is when they operate. We do not spend some time listening to the Holy Spirit, when you listen to the Holy Spirit, you will have direction. Most of the things that bother me, I wake up at 2 a.m. and speak to God. You don’t challenge God, you talk positively to Him. You don’t ask all the time, the Lord loves praises and that is always my prayer point, that God allow me to praise you today.
And most importantly, first, I pray for children that are displaced, sleeping under the bridges, those that are being raped by their parents. A lot of girls are being raped by brothers, fathers, uncles and relatives. Children who have no mouth piece, who are terrified hiding under tables when they hear voices of their tormentors. Second, I pray for children that are in Brazil sniffing all kinds of household hard drugs.
Third, I pray for women in Nigeria, especially widows. If you see what goes on with widows it is unbelievable. One of my prayer points is that God, you are a God of justice, there are many people that are in prison that are forgotten, people that were roped in unjustly and I say if you are the Lord of justice, bring up their cases, miraculously bring out their case files and free them because they are looking up to you.
Fourth, I pray for women that are barren, I tell God to open up their womb. I have those major prayer points that no matter what I do, everyday I pray for them.
And then, I pray for our leaders with clean hands. Nigerian leaders with clean hands are not many and they are in the minority, and people laugh and jeer at them. I ask the Lord, all those leaders that have taken away from my people, both present and past and those to come that have decided that any penny they steal, it would be from the poor, God let your vengeance be upon them. These are my prayer points. These leaders, where they are going is not far, maybe they are like in their 60’s and 70’s and they still cannot spend their life doing what is worth to do, that is ridiculous. I pray a lot but when it comes to issues of Nigeria, I bleed and cry at night.

Women are the enemies of themselves, they don’t love themselves and that has hindered them from moving forward. What do you have to say about this?
If you notice, all the traditional practices that are bad for women are propagated by women. It is encouraged by women like mutilation, tearing, putting pepper in your private area and so on. And then when it comes to job, you go into the corporate work and do a job, a woman will put you down and put you through hell. Yes, it has happened to me where I was scored excellent from point one to 10 and then you are being punished unnecessarily because a woman is in power. It is ridiculous. I work like a man; I work 10 times harder than a man and then to get somewhere and have a woman that God created like you that is supposed to enhance and help your career, is the one that is trying to pull you down.

So, what were the things you missed when growing up?
I never went to parties. I didn’t miss it, I never had a boyfriend. I only had a boyfriend when I was in college. I never really knew that I was made for something because I was so innocent and untapped but funnily, I have seven sisters but my dad had that special thing for me. I really don’t know what it is but he had to watch me, cut me down but funny enough, I was as innocent as it gets but for some crazy reason, I don’t know what it was. I am not saying that I am the prettiest daughter.

How did you develop the passion for singing?
My dad took us to church at least three times a week and we have this thing at home we call the control night. My dad was extremely traditional, and whatever talent that you had he had to get it out of you. Mine was mostly singing and he wanted me to be a broadcaster. I am using that for singing and doing MC which pretty pays well. Every one of us had a talent and that was how I was able to tap mine. So, I started singing at age five in church. After a while, I thought I was going to go professional earlier but my dad absolutely said, I need you to be very educated, get your first and second degrees, then a career and then sing, which I am glad that I am doing right now.

What do you do to enhance your beauty and physique?
I run six miles everyday and I build my butt. I exercise my butt that way, it can come together and there are a few exercises you can use on the butt and then floor exercises. I don’t have to kill myself doing it because it is something that I have got used to. It is something that I have done for years, since I was little and it is like a second nature. No matter how sick I am, I go out there to walk out. If I don’t run, I will walk or I do something. Exercise really prolongs your life, lessens stress. And then, try to forgive, because if you do, you free yourself.