Dr Mojisola Yaya-Kolade is the Commissioner in charge of the Ministry of Health in Ekiti State. In addition, she is an ‘unusual’ professional…She is a Nurse, a Pharmacist and a Medical Doctor! In this exclusive interview with our Ekiti/Ondo States’ Correnpondents, EMMANUEL ADENIRAN, she reveals her plans to stop COVID-19’s spread in the state. Excerpts
Can you give us an insight into your background?
I am Mojisola Yaya-kolade, the Commissioner for Health and Human Services in Ekiti State. I was born in Oye-Ekiti. I grew up in Abeokuta, Ogun State. I attended University College Hospital, Ibadan for training. I had my Secondary School in Abeokuta at Egba High School where I obtained my Senior School Certificate.
After my Secondary Education, I proceeded to the Nursing School. I was in the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan where I was trained and finished as a registered Nurse, Midwife and worked for like 12 to 15 months before I proceeded to America where I furthered my Education.
I got a degree in Pharmacy. I obtained a Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Sciences. After this, I worked as Hospital Pharmacist who always goes with the Doctors in managing patients on issues relating to drugs and medication and side effects. I did that for about five years.
But when I started having children, I decided that I wanted to further my Education because I knew what I was doing to progress in my Education and to change my career to the Medical School at New York University College of Post Medicine and after graduated, I did my residency in the family medicine and I started practicing and I was rising in the cadre.
I became Medical Director of facilities in Connecticut and after a while I came up with a facility myself which is a center in conjunction with my husband and we had two locations. It is the only minority and privately owned rehabilitation center in the United States of America and I have been the Vice President and the Chief Medical Director (CMD). Being a Pharmacist, I was the CMD and the Supervising Pharmacist of the facility and I relinquished the post to another expert there before coming to Nigeria.
In what way has your various disciplines impacted on humanity?
You know, as a Trained Nurse, professionally licensed and registered in Nigeria and at Connecticut in New York; and also as a licensed Pharmacist in Nigeria and in America, I am a Certified Consultant in Medicine, specifically when it comes to family medicine.
This has built me over the years. I think I have impacted on humanity in various ways because the way I take care of my patients is more holistic because of this background that I have at the tender loving care. And being a compassionate person that I am, in my early life, my understanding of medicine as a whole, as well as that of the Pharmaceutical Sciences that l learnt for five years helped.
All these have given me great opportunity to impact effectively, although not with my own power but God’s will in my life. Since I know that it is God’s grace for me, I believe in using it for humanity and that is one of the reasons why I am here.
When I was appointed to be the Commissioner for Health and Human Services in Ekiti State, I left everything despite what I was seriously doing in my private organization, both in Nigeria and America, I left everything to come and serve my people in Ekiti State.
Madam, can you let us know more about your parents, upbringing…
My parents were teachers. I came from a family of educationists. My father before he passed away was an Inspector of Education and my mother was a Head Teacher and they were one of the early teachers that were trained back then in the 50’s because they were educationists.
Education was a priority in my family. I started schooling very early. I finished high school early before I turned sixteen and got my result. This has allowed me to do so many things. People wonder why I was able to have many professions. Although, my parents were not rich but they were comfortable, they were middle class but my mother apart being a teacher, was also an entrepreneur. I am not going to denied that, so we were comfortable in upbringing.
Why do you think people will not be surprised that a health professional like you has interest in politics?
Thank you very much. This is the question people always ask me. I came into politics not directly. I like to care for people; I like to share my knowledge and my resources.
Since growing up in Abeokuta, everyone used to call me Sister Moji. Both my junior and senior always asked me to come and represent them that they need somebody capable, loving and caring to represent them in Abeokuta South, where I grew up and in the barrack.
So, I went there and joined the then Governor Amosun when he was campaigning, I went around the whole State campaigning with him because I believe in the ACN of that time, believe in the social-welfarism. I believe people should be taken care of. I don’t believe in autocratic or dictatorship and I don’t believe in any government owing small percentage of what people are benefitting from and I took up the challenge knowing that it is just by the Grace of God that I grew up in the barrack. A lot of people that grew up with me are not where I am today.
So, I want the people to have the opportunity I had growing up, and having the best parents, the best education, best discipline, comportment, presentation of myself and I did not learn all these only in America but what my parents instilled in me.
These are what prompted me when I got outside there. I realized that the politics in America is not like what is obtainable here in Nigeria. I thought I could relate with people in Abeokuta before I was reminded that my home town is Ekiti, that my father is from Ekiti but spent most of his service years in Abeokuta teaching people.
So, I now came back home to help to support the first decade administration to support the widow with local blenders, saloon equipment, tailoring equipment and other less privileged in the State.
So, that is what I was doing before getting close to her Excellency, Erelu Bisi Fayemi and we became sisters and friends and when they were going to contest, I thought of supporting them in 2014 I did and I campaigned.
So, moving to 2018, when the preparation started, I personally was not aware that his Excellency, John Kayode Fayemi was going to contest, so, I looked at the candidates that were out there and I said I could do just as good as this or better than what they were going to do. And I asked myself, why don’t I contest and we have never had a female Governor in the State. Why don’t I be the first and treat our people the way they ought to be treated.
But when my Governor, His Excellency, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi came onboard, I joined hands with him because I believe in him and I told him personally, that I supported his administration in his first term and now that you are the man, I will support you with everything that I have. I put in my resources to support him. So, I am not just talking the talk, but walking the talk and I supported him and when we won, I never thought he would consider me for appointment as Commissioner for Health.
I was on my way to America, some couples of days before I left, I got invited and I was asked to send my papers which I did and here we are today.
Can you talk about your achievement so far as the Commissioner for Health and Human Services in Ekiti State?
Quite a lot has been done within twelve months. In April, it was twelve months. With the support Governor Fayemi gave us in this Ministry, we have made giant strides. When we came onboard, the Primary Health Care was nothing in this Ministry. We didn’t have what is called Primary Health Care under one roof which is what Federal Government is pushing to us, and coming onboard we established Primary Health Care under one roof. The other things that we have done, we held that basic health provision fund was in place when I came in. The previous Governor did not pay into the counterpart funding, but Governor Fayemi has paid into counterpart fund which allow the State to benefit from it. We have done our part; we are now waiting for the Federal Government to give us what they want to give us. Ekiti State Health Insurance Scheme is another thing we have done in over twelve months.
Immunization is within 99 percent which is great achievement. We moved from where we were, the maternal mortality in Ekiti State has gone down by at least fourteen points. The infant mortality, we haven’t done much but four lives have been saved through it. It’s great saving lives. I believe any life lost is a loss to the community. We have the skills that are required to cater for the children and mother especially. So that being said, we have achieved quite a lot and we are keeping some equipment in our facilities.
Recently, we just opened what is called Ekiti State Infectious Disease Center which you can also call ‘isolation centre’. This is the first time Ekiti State is having Isolation Center and in our isolation center, which is a ten bed-space with Ventilators, Patient Monitor, Personal Protective Equipment and a huge power generating set. Everything needed has been provided there to move us forward.
I give kudos to Mr. Governor for his support because during his time, we were able to achieve all these. I wouldn’t have achieved these as Commissioner for Health if His Excellency, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi did not support me financially.
Any new idea or innovation brought on board by you into the Health Sector of Ekiti State?
You know, my plan is to move Ekiti State Health care system to higher place, much better than what it is, to even move it to international standard provided we have the means and the money to do it and we are on the way already. We are just one year and only five months and we have done so much. So, I can only imagine what will happen when we are three years in office. Everything is going on as planned, and hopefully at least, we can boast Ekiti State has a Ventilator and we have trained all our health care workers.
