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Meet Lagos Dad Ifeanyi Anthony Okonkwo

Meet Ifeanyi Anthony Okonkwo, our first Lagos Dad to be featured! He attended the LagosMums 5th Annual Conference which held on Sat October 13th 2018. Following this we connected on Instagram as he shared some highlights from the conference. He asked us when we would have a feature on dads….and I thought what a great idea! So we decided to start with him. Parenting does take both mum and dad! Enjoy our first Lagos Dad feature.

I meet more dads everyday who are very involved in their children’s lives and ask for us to have Lagos Dads 🙂 Watch the space.

Ifeanyi Okonkwo Lagos Dad LagosMums
LM: Please tell us about yourself?

IO: My name is Ifeanyi Anthony Okonkwo. A banker of 10 years. I currently work as an internal consultant with the Corporate Transformation Department of First Bank.

I am an avid lover of life and an unrepentant lover of God; the maker of life.

I love to learn new things which led me to attend the #LagosMums event even as a dad.

My love for trying new things led me to discover the #NonalcoholicPalmwine earning me an award with the Africas Young Entrepreneurs (AYE) in 2017

My winning philosophy has always been to worry about only things I have control over.  Such as being a great dad. I allow God to handle others according to his promises in the scriptures. #Hakunamatata

LM: How long have you been married?

IO: I have been married for 2 years and 7 months

LM: How many children do you have?

IO: I have a beautiful daughter and she is 1 year and 8 months. I fondly call her #AdaObodoOyibo and #AdaEurope. 

LM: As a dad yourself, how different (or the same) are you with your dad?

My dad happens to be a very sociable man and I have tried to emulate that. I believe that “Relationships/Networks are the legal tender with which we trade in life’s market”

LagosMums Lagos Dad
LM: Why do you think parenting tends to fall more on mother’s than fathers?

IO: So we have had a lot of absent dads in the past and this has to change. In the olden days when mums were simply housewives, that was easy. But now in most homes both parents work to cater for the family hence the parenting burden should also be shared, as well as the chores in the house. I do not believe that a working mum’s place lies in the kitchen anymore. Dads should learn to assist with home chores. The era of Mum and Dad getting back from work at the same time and dad crossing his legs and watching football while mum labors to make dinner is over.

LM: You attended the #LagosMums parenting conference? how did you hear about it and why did you attend?

IO: I follow a couple of parenting handles on instagram. So I got to hear about the #LagosMums event via @augustsecrets handle.

I attended solely because of my daughter. I have always striven to be the best dad I can be to her. So any knowledge on how to be outstanding as a dad was absolutely welcome. And true to it, I was not disappointed.

LM: As a Lagos Dad what were you expecting from the Conference?

IO: Sincerely i was expecting a more Mum-Centred event but it turned out to be clearly a gathering of parents learning how to be better parents.

Ifeanyi Lagos Dad

LM: After attending the conference what few tips did you take away?

IO: Oh Alot! Firstly, I learnt from Abi Longe that we should always allow children become what they want to be though with our guidance. Then, Lanre Olusola reminded us how we should have special names for our kids that bear our dreams for them. Dakore also taught us how not to allow our girl children sit on the laps of any random men. I did also learn from Yetty Williams that we should be careful who we give visa to come to our homes. She also taught us the different parenting styles: The Authoritarian, The Authoritative, The Permissive and the Intentional. She stressed that the Intentional Parenting is the best. Taiwo Akinlami taught us that we should avoid using analog skills to train digital kids. The lessons are endless…

LM: Would you invite other dads to attend the Conference?

IO: Certainly. I already have a list of parents on standby for the next event.

LM: What excites you about the future for your child?

IO: My excitement lies in the fact that My daughter is going to stand on an international podium some day and thank me for being the best dad that she would ever have had.

LM: Do you feel you spend enough time with your child?

IO: So i think i can do more. But at the moment i try to give her quality time on weekends and whenever i meet her awake on a weekday. What I love most about being a dad is the fact that i am playing my Godly role in the formation of a rare gem. On being a hands on dad? “Obviously”. I actually don’t believe there are any child duties specific for any particular parent. We are in it together and must gain the graces together

LM: Any words about #LagosMums?

Wow! I was not expecting to see a very organized event with so many corporate sponsors. It could only take a resilient woman with a determination to affect her world to pull this through. All i can say is KUDOS to Yetty Williams and the team. We need more life changing events as this. So this is a challenge to all those dream carriers out there. Take your step today, Yetty did hers 5 years ago!

Wow I thoroughly enjoyed hearing from this dad! Who else loves this dad’s views on being a parent!

View Pictures from the LagosMums 5th Annual Parenting Conference

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