By Olufunsho Abdullahi.
We call her ‘Madam’, that is, her aides in 2003 when she became the First Lady of Kwara State. She was 39 years old, and almost aĺl of us were younger than her; I was 31 years old at that time when I was appointed as the Administrative Secretary, Office of the Wife of the Governor.
We were what you would describe as a young team; in the team were also Niran Adedokun, Mrs. Dupe Hassan, who was S.A Special Duties, Yemi Oyeku, Hajia Segilola AbdulKadir, the late Gbenga Adesina among others.
Before the end of 2023 our boss, Her Excellency, Mrs Toyin Saraki, had set up a formidable office. The Kwara WellBeing Trust “Alafia Kwara” was the platform used for most of our activities.
Looking back at what the team was able to achieve within the first four years in Office, Mrs. Saraki once remarked that it must be youthful exuberance and energy.
One instance was when we embarked on a journey of about six hours from Ilorin, the capital city of Kwara state to Baruteen Local Government of Kwara North Senatorial district. We set out on the road with a large entourage at about 6.00 a.m. The mission, led by Mrs. Saraki, was to donate school furniture to selected schools within Baruteen Local government. Because of the deplorable roads at that time, we did not arrive at Baruteen until the afternoon.
After the donations and other ceremonies including being hosted to dinner by a prominent Baruteen citizen. We set out back to Ilorin that same night, getting to Ilorin, hours past midnight at about 2.00 a.m. But we were all in high spirits: Mission accomplished.
The initiatives of Mrs. Saraki during her First tenure as the First Lady of Kwara state were in the following sectors: Health, Education, Social Welfare, Enterprise, Community Development, Environment, Citizenship and Democracy, Human Rights, Disaster response, and relief.
All initiatives, interventions, and advocacy were diligently carried out.
Unarguably, the most impactful initiatives were the health-related ones, carried out through the Indigent Medical Fund, which later metamorphosed into the Alafia Kwara initiative.
The Indigent Medical Fund assists children of indigent parents who can not access life-saving medical treatment. The fund took off with a personal grant from Mrs.Saraki when she witnessed the challenges faced by indigent parents over the health care of their children.
The Children’s Specialist Hospital, Centre Igboro became an extension of the Office of the wife of the Governor as we were always a phone call away. Dr. Erubu, who was the Managing Director of the Hospital at that period, did not waste time in bringing to the attention of the office cases that needed immediate financial intervention. Quite a number of renovations were also carried out at the Children’s Specialist Hospital.
These include the provision of an automated borehole as a source of clean pipe-borne water, repair of the Hospital ambulance, fully equipped children’s ward, fully equipped isolation ward, Doctor’s Consulting room, and repair of the bathrooms in the maternity unit, among others.
Other health interventions included the Alafia Kwara Positive Life Line Programme(HIV/AIDS), which provides care and support to People living with HIV/AIDS. There was also the Alafia Kwara positive lifeline for Orphans and vulnerable children.
Alafia Kwara Mother and Child Survival Scheme, where Motherless babies are provided with food supplements in the form of infant formula and other nutritional support. Parents of multiple births are supported with cash and materials among others.
One other huge intervention of Barrister Saraki was at the Kwara State School for Special Needs; Mrs. Saraki changed the name of the school from Kwara State School for the Handicapped to Kwara State School for Special Needs.
Mrs Saraki’s intervention at the School got the attention of the Kwara State Government and the British High Commission. Some of the support provided by the School for the Special Needs included the donation of a 36 seater Coaster bus, donation of educational items, and braille machines for the visually impaired students Also, there were regular donations of bags of raw food to the school.
Mrs. Saraki’s regular visits and donations to the school boosted the morale of the students and teachers, and the School for Special Needs was regarded as one of the best of its kind in Nigeria.
When Mrs. Saraki is in your corner, you can go to sleep with your two eyes closed she takes her team as members of her family and is always an active participant in our family functions, as a young team, quite a number of her team got married while working with her, we had numerous naming ceremonies.
I consider Mrs. Saraki a very smart and wise elder sis; numerous times, she has offered candid advice on personal issues. HET, as we also fondly call her, has also been a pillar of support on countless occasions.
My boss could also be a formidable foe especially if you stand in her way of getting things done. The zeal of her first tenure in office when she founded Alafia Kwara under the auspices of its parent body, The WellBeing Foundation, has continued to propel the non-governmental organization into a global organization.
Mrs Saraki led the WellBeing Foundation Africa to form a formidable global collaboration with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine(LSTM) and Johnson and Johnson International to train Health Workers on Emergency Maternal Obstetric and Newborn Care(EMONC). Thousands of Medical Doctors, Nurses, and midwives have benefited from the world-class training across Nigeria.
Mrs Saraki is an ambassador of many international organizations, including the World Health Organisation, The United Nations, the White Ribbon Alliance, International Midwives, and Associations, among others.
Mrs. Saraki, a Royal Princess of the Ijora Kingdom and Iganmu Lands, is the Erelu Bobajiro of the Iru Land and the Yon Sabuke of the Kaima Kingdom, among other royal honors.
I wish Mrs Saraki a hearty sixtieth birthday celebration. I hold a toast to her as a visionary leader who blazed a trail that continues to wax stronger.
Sherifat Abdullahi writes from Ilorin.
