I am the compassionate mother Ekiti needs – Dr. Yusuf-Kolade

For this All Progressives Congress, APC chieftain with a fairytale progression through the healthcare industry, her aspiration to become the first female governor of Ekiti State has not come as a surprise to many. Dr. Mojisola Yusuf-Kolade first trained as a nurse, before relocating to the United States where she subsequently trained as a midwife, then pharmacist and medical doctor.

Following her medical training, she also established a hospital in the United States, which is presently the only Nigerian owned hospital in Connecticut. Following her relocation to Nigeria, she has also delved into farming besides her philanthropy activities in the state. It was as such not a surprise when asked why she was entering the contest that she waxed eloquent on how she can use the office of governor to extend her philanthropic gestures.

“I am bringing a lot into the race, in terms of professional experience, entrepreneurship experience and the passion for the people. I have been a businesswoman, an employer and a supporter of charity. I empower women and youths; widows who are taking care of their children, artisans and peasants who are in apprenticeship, but who cannot provide for themselves. I have an NGO, the Christiana Ebenezer Kolade Foundation.” Asked what gave her confidence in the face of the challenge from the about 30 men in the contest including the two immediate past governors of the state, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, and Engr. Segun Oni, she said:

“I am a woman. I have done a lot of things internally and locally. I have created jobs. That’s what the people of Ekiti actually need. There is a huge unemployment rate in Ekiti. College and university graduates are driving Okada. That is not a pleasant sight.” Affirming that she entered the contest as a way of enhancing her philanthropy, she said: “I came into politics for the purpose of empowerment of the people. I have been involved in Ekiti in the last five years. I saw the hospitals. I saw the schools. In the schools, there are no books. 

The hospitals are not habitable for human beings. We have glorified clinics which we call hospitals. That is not acceptable.   These are things that need to be repaired. I am a business woman, a nurse, a pharmacist, a consultant in medicine. My husband and I own the only privately owned facility in the whole of Connecticut. “In Nigeria, I am also a farmer. I have over 300 hectares of farm land.” Given the impression she claimed to have made on the ground in Ekiti, she was asked if she had been able to mobilise the women behind her aspiration.

Vanguard